Teen Titans : The Lost Season
by DeathscytheVII
Summary: Takes place in the year between 'The End' and Season five. A whole season of episodes involving our favourite characters. Thirteen 'episodes' in total.
1. Introduction : Episode Listings

Sorry guys, it seemed that one of my siblings, using my FF account, accidentily deleted the original lost season, but I'll repost it.

Right now, Ive also done some changes to the titles, as well as added a thirteenth episode to make it complete.

Updates will come when I scrounge up the old stuff ;)

Anyways, to business!

**This story is dedicated to the awesome series that is. Teen Titans.**

REMEMBER THE TITANS. XD

**Premise:** After "The End" and Before the coming of the Brotherhood, there was a full year where the Titans continued their adventures, made new friends and enemies, as well as reflecting on themselves and their past achievements as a team.

This is the untold story. 

The Lost Season.

**Episode 1: The Amazing Adventures of Captain Mumbo! Or...Five ways to drown a Kitten**

Summer vacation has begun, Mumbo tries his hand at reform and gets a job as a magician aboard a cruise ship, entertaining crowds with his amazing tricks. However, he does not count on one passenger, a skeptical and spoiled kitten.

**Episode 2 - H.A.R.D.A.C**  
Cyborg finds a new computer system in town, one that is guaranteed to remove any traces of error from any computer program. To test it out, Cyborg installs a service computer to handle all of the Titans' needs. All goes well at first, until Cy decides to install it into the Tower Defense systems.

**Episode 3 - Reflection**  
A confrontation with Doctor Light leaves Beast Boy incapacitated, and in a hospital bed. As Beast Boy deals with his injury, the team reminisces about their own personal experiences with their teammate.

**Episode 4 - East Meets West**  
The H.I.V.E five decide to try and free their old headmaster, Brother Blood, who is locked up in steel city.

**Episode 5-Cursed**  
Raven tries to put the past behind her, but someone isn't making it easy for her

**Episode 6 - T.I.T.A.N.S**  
A documentary crew arrives to film a typical day for the Teen Titans, but their very presence ensures that what they get is anything but normal.

**Episode 7 - Circuit Break**  
Overload returns, with new and improved upgrades. To combat him, the titans turn to Fixit for a solution.

**Episode 8 - Showdown**  
It isn't easy being a thief, especially when you have assassins, robot commandos, and one persistant boy wonder all wanting a piece of you.

**Episode 9 - Trial **  
Starfire and Val Yor are held on trial in an intergalactic court, accused of high crimes. While that is happening, a conspiracy threatens the galaxy, with enemies new and old.

**Episode 10 - Game Over**  
He couldn't defeat the titans in real life, or in the TV. So Control Freak decides to take it to the next level, by defeating the Titans in his very own Video Game World.

**Episode 11 - Integration Part 1 ('Season' finale)**  
An old enemy of Cyborg's returns for some payback..

**Episode 12 - Integration Part 2 ('Season' finale)**  
The Titans take part in one of their toughest fights yet, and Cyborg is forced to make a difficult choice: Save the city, or save his friend.

**Episode 13- A Teen Titan, A True Friend (Epilogue)**


	2. The Amazing Adventures of Mumbo Act 1

**EP 1 : The Amazing High Seas Adventures of Captain Mumbo! or...Five ways to drown a Kitten.**

"AND NOW! For my next trick, I will make this ring disappear!" The gray-haired magician placed the ring on his palm and in a few twists of his hand, it vanished right in front of the woman's eyes. Gasps were heard throughout the deck of the ship as the ring magically vanished.

Then came the applause.

"Thank you Thank you! You've been a lovely audience!" The Magician smiled, enjoying every second of it, this was his life, his profession, and he never dreamt of getting sick of show biz. He was grateful for this job, his second chance. He had received his parole, which had allowed him to get back to where he had started, back to earning a decent and honest living.

Perhaps this was the best way after all.

The magician then leaned towards the woman, whose ring was still missing.

"Don't worry madam, you'll get your ring back, this is my third time doing this trick and I've lost what? Two rings?"

The crowd burst into laughter, and a look of shock ran deep over the woman's face, but without another snap of a finger, the ring appeared back in his hand. A look of relief poured onto her face.

"Let's give this lovely assistant a big hand!" The magician shouted, and already the members of the audience, mostly little kids, stood up and cheered. The magician smiled, delighted that his tricks were pleasing his audience…until…..

"BORRRRING!" The voice of a little girl droned on in the corner, somehow droning out the applause that the magician was receiving. "You call that a trick? My grandma can do a better job. Come on! Let's see some real magic! I know its all fake." A girl shouted in a high annoying voice. The Magician turned his attention to the corner, where a young lady and her friends stood.

The Magician was taken aback by this young lady, who did she think she is?

"My young lady, you must be mistaken, this is all very real. Don't you believe in magic?"

"Pfft, yeah right." The young girl stood up and walked up to the stage, and the magician suddenly realized that she wasn't so 'little' at all. She wasn't a child like the most of his audience, but a teenager, a rather spoiled looking one at that. Indeed, she looked even more spoiled with that dress of hers, not to mention her friends too.

"I can see through all your tricks, I thought you were supposed to be entertaining me. I didn't plan on spending any of my precious summer vacation being bored to death by an old moldy magician." The young woman asserted herself quite quickly, climbing the stage and staring down the poor magician.

"Please miss, there are children here, why can't you just sit back and enjoy the show like everyone else is?"

"Because it's not real!" The lady screamed impatiently, and with a flick of her arm quickly stole the magician's hat.

"See? He's hiding all the stuff in his hat!" And sure enough, with a few shakes, a flock of doves flew out. Soon afterward, the young lady pulled the Magician's sleeves up, revealing a huge stash of hidden cards.

"Who do you think you are?" The magician, feeling humiliated as the audience bursted out laughing, asked indignantly.

"The name's Kitten," She said as if it was a boast. "and next time you decide to take up MY precious summer vacation time, try doing something entertaining for a change! Like drop your pants!"

The crowd began laughing now, along with the Kitten's teenage friends, all of them laughing at his expense.

With a grumble, the magician swiped back his hat. The children in the crowd, seeing that their magician was a fake, suddenly made disappointed groans, while Kitten and her teenage friends laughed at him.

The Magician, deciding his show was ruined, gave a sad look on his face and quietly took his suitcase of magic tricks and walked behind a door backstage. She could insult anything, heck, he tolerated the personal attacks, but insulting the wonders of magic? That was it, he would show her.

He closed the door, giving the girl an angry glare, reaching into his suitcase to pull out a new wand.

Kitten however, having too much fun at the expense of others, decided to follow the magician even as he disappeared behind the door.

"Hey! Come back! I'm not finished with you yet."

Before she even reached the handle however, the door suddenly exploded in a violent rush of wind. The children screamed as a giant tornado engulfed the deck, streams of silk, confetti and flowers poured out of the tornado and rained onto the deck, as if someone had exploded a giant piñata.

Spinning out of the tornado, to the surprise of a Kitten, was a new Magician. A green faced one with white hair and a mask similar to Robin's.

"Who the heck do you think you are you stupid magician?" Kitten shouted angrily, suddenly realizing that the breeze had ruined her hairdo, which she had spent all morning doing.

"That's **Captain Mumbo** to you kiddies!" He laughed even more. "Now get ready for a high seas voyage you'll never forget!" He ended that last sentence with a dark grin.

The green skinned magician laughed maniacally, and with a wave of his wand, wrapped up Kitten and her gang in silken ropes. The audience, alarmed by this, suddenly broke into a panic and began to flee.

(Fade to song)

**_When there's trouble you know who to call _**  
**_Teen Titans! _**  
**_From their tower, they can see it all _**  
**_Teen Titans! _**

**_When there's evil on the attack _**  
**_You can rest knowing they got your back _**  
**_'Cuz when the world needs heroes on patrol _**  
**_Teen Titans GO! _**

**_With their superpowers they unite _**  
**_Teen Titans! _**  
**_Never met a villain that they liked _**  
**_Teen Titans! _**

**_They've got the bad guys on the run _**  
**_They never stop 'till the job gets done _**  
**_'Cuz when the world is losin' all control _**  
**_Teen Titans GO! _**

**_1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. Go! _**  
**_Teen Titans! _**

The sun was at high noon on a beautiful summer day. The waters of Jump City's bay glistened brilliantly, and city's seaside was bathed in glowing warmth. Waves crashed into the beaches, a cool refreshing white that seemed to line the entire shoreline.

"Whoooo! Cowabunga dudes!" Beast Boy shouted, water skiing behind the T-sub, which was plowing full speed above the waves.

"Think you can hold on B?" Cyborg shouted back from the cockpit.

"Give me your best shot Cy." Beast Boy grinned, transforming into an octopus and gripping the bar with all his tentacles.

"Don't say I didn't warn ya. Boo-Yah!" As if on cue, twin rocket boosters emerged from the rear of the T sub. The engines quickly sprung to life, throwing back a gigantic spray of water into Beast Boy's face.

Transforming back into a human, Beast Boy found that both his skis were gone, and that his feet were not even touching the surface of the water.

There was no time to think, all he could do was hold on for dear life. The changling shouted above the roar of the engines and the spray of the waves. "Cyborg…I think you should….slow downnnnnn!"

"What? Sorry B, can't hear you." Cyborg cupped his ear innocently, and the T sub, with the screaming Beast Boy pulling behind, made another pass around Titan's tower, sending waves crashing onto the beach.

Starfire and Robin meanwhile, paid no attention to Beast Boy's plight. Instead, they focused on a good ole fashioned game of beach volleyball. (in their normal clothes of course )

"Oh come on Raven! Won't you join us in volleying the ball?" Starfire shouted as she blocked another spike by Robin.

"Tempting. But no." Raven didn't even open her eyes as she meditated under the protection of a beach umbrella.

"Then perhaps you can help us in constructing our system of fortifications in the sand?"

"I'm sure you can manage without me." Raven replied laconically.

"But Raven, it is the season of Summer! The most joyous period known to Earth people! Surely there must be some enjoyment which you can find during this time?"

"Yea, it's called peace, quiet, tranquility." She replied, slightly annoyed.

Before star could reply however, another sound cut through the air.

"Look out DUUUDES!"

Raven looked up and saw an odd sight, a green dot that was quickly growing bigger in the sky. She barely had time to react as Beast Boy plowed into the sand, throwing up a wall of sand that buried Raven and her umbrella.

"Why do I bother…." Raven sighed, then levitated her umbrella out of the sand pile and brushed the dirt off her cape.

"Oh no! Our friend is stuck!" Starfire pointed with concern at Beast Boy, whose head was bobbed down in the sand like an ostrich.

Taking Beast Boy by the foot, and firmly placing her feet against the sand, the Tamaranian pulled, and the green titan was freed in no time.

"Pleh!" Beast boy spat out some sand. "Remind me next time not to let Cyborg drive." The Green Titan sat down on the beach, furiously trying to rub the sand out of his hair.

"Did someone call me?" Cyborg, parking the T sub just on the Beach, observed the whole scene while managing to keep a straight face. "You did say give 'give me your best shot'" The android whistled innocently.

"Is everyone alright here?" Robin, having just reached the group asked. "You look pretty beat Beast Boy."

Before Beast Boy could even reply however, a red light began beeping on each of the Titans' belts.

"Looks like Trouble." Cyborg said seriously.

Robin took the communicator from his belt, and stared at the small screen. With a nod he quickly snapped it shut and placed it back on his belt. "Titans, Go!"

Screaming passengers ran all over the deck, tripping and fall over each other, running from a gigantic wave of bunny dolls, ticker tape, confetti and bouncy red balls. Explosions of confetti rained all over the place, and the children laughed, reaching for them as they fell in the air before their parents carried them away with them.

"Leaving so soon folks?" Mumbo said gleefully. "Why leave? When there's time for an encore!"

A band of red, yellow, and blue silk suddenly wrapped around the doorway, forcing the audience back onto deck.

"Time for some helping hands wouldn't you say?" Mumbo took off his hat, sprouting about a dozen oversize gloves that were as big as a man. Each glove ran towards the crowd, almost scooping them into one place on the cruise ship.

The captain did not notice the screams, and was very surprised to find two gigantic white gloves fly up to the ship's bridge and punch through the window.

"What the-" The captain barely had time to protest as the gloves tied him up and bagged him in a sack. One glove tied the captain and his crew up while the other took the wheel, steering the ship out to sea.

Back down on deck, Mumbo placed his hat back on with relish, and then turned to the audience. "Now I know you'll all enjoy the next act as much as me. We'll now see if Kittens truly do land on their feet."

He waved his hand toward the side of the ship, and a long wooden plank sprouted from the ship, extending at least fifteen feet out into the open sea.

"Who wants to be my lovely assistant?" Mumbo grinned, then turned around to face Kitten and her spoiled friends tied up in rope and silk. "How about you my dear?"

The rope around kitten suddenly sprung to life, dragging her towards Mumbo.

"Let me go you creep! Do you know who I am? I'm -!" She was cut off as the silk wrapped around her mouth.

"Ya ya, one spoiled brat, I heard it the first time kid." Mumbo said in a tired voice, then turned back with a smile to his audience. "Now remember kids, don't try this trick at home."

With a protesting muffled scream, Kitten found herself floating in the air, place squarely on the plank.

"So kid, how's that for real magic eh?" Mumbo laughed again, his top hat then transformed into a cockade hat of a naval captain.

Kitten grumbled, somehow biting off the silk that tied her mouth. "Are you kidding? How do I know you aren't controlling this stuff with a remote?"

"Can a remote do this!" Mumbo flashed his wand again, and this time sharks appeared in the waters below the plank, their fins circling the waters below Kitten.

"You probably installed all of this stuff before we got on. Now untie me or I'll get daddy to-" A muzzle appeared in front of Kitten's face now, and magically strapped itself onto her, before she could struggle out of it, a lock put the finishing touches on and clamped it in place.

Mumbo sighed, wiping his face with an exaggerated sweat drop. "Everybody's a critic."

The villain sighed, but suddenly cheered up again. "Oh well! Let's get on with the show!." A saw magically appeared above the plank, and began cutting, to Kitten's horror.

"Maybe a nice dip can cool you down." Mumbo laughed again, and watched as the plank collapsed, sending a screaming Kitten falling down into the cold sea.

Mumbo, delighted that he was rid of that pest, turned his back and eagerly awaited the sound of a splash. But to his surprise, there was nothing.

"Eh?" The madcap Magician wondered out loud as he peered over the railing. "Now where did my assistant run off to? WAAAH!" This last imprecation was due to the fact that he saw the sole of a boot coming straight at him. The resulting kick in the face sent him flying back onto the stage.

Robin and the rest of the titans climbed onto the deck, the boy wonder holding the dazed Kitten in his arms.

As Kitten woke up, her eyes widened.

"OOOO Robbie Poo! I knew it! You've come to save me and get back together!"

"Um…..actually, we didn't even know you were on the ship. Also, we were NEVER together."

Kitten gave a dreamy sigh. "Oh don't worry Robbie Poo, I'm willing to forgive you for last time if you just-."

"For the last time, He's not your Robbie Poo!" Starfire growled at the spoiled girl, her eyes blazing with green rage. "And are you not suppose to be in jail?"

"Oh, Daddy was kind enough to take my prison sentence and add to his. Anything to get his precious daughter out of that nasty old jail." Kitten said boastingly.

"Gee," Beast Boy whispered to Cyborg. "I can't imagine why?" Both titans began thinking about Killer Moth, who was probably enjoying his first nag-free day in the slammer.

"What's wrong?" Kitten said tauntingly. "Jealous because you know that Robbie poo and I make the perfect cou-"

Robin unceremoniously dropped Kitten onto the deck before she finished. Kitten gave an exaggerated scream as she landed, and to Starfire's delight, began crying out because her dress got wet.

Robin meanwhile, focused on the real villain that stood on the stage.

"Ah! If it isn't my favourite audience! The Teen Titans!" Mumbo put his hat back on, and pulled his sleeves up as if he were getting ready for a fist fight.

"Mumbo." Robin replied in a serious tone. "Didn't they release you for good behaviour? I see that didn't last."

"Show Biz was calling to me! Besides Robin, don't be so quick to judge. I'm just bringing a little excitement on this floating rust bucket. In fact, let's get this show started shall we? Mumbo Jumbo!" With a flick of a wand, Mumbo sent a bright stream of magic at the five titans.

"Titans! Go!" Robin shouted, and the five superheroes instantly fanned out. Dodging the strings of silk that tried to grab the Titans.

"Show's over Mumbo." The boy wonder said as he landed just in front of the magician, his bo staff already out and ready to swipe the villain off his feet.

"If only i had a nickel for every time i heard you say that." Mumbo said gleefully. "Oh wait! I do!"

The Magician took off his hat, and out poured a gigantic wave of coins that stopped robin right in his tracks, sweeping him away until he hit the railing of the ship. The wave was so enormous that the floor was barely visible underneath the ocean of nickels. Eventually however, they all flowed overboard, leaving a dazed Robin hanging on the railing.

Beast Boy attacked next, transforming into an elephant and charging the magician. Mumbo however, just stretched his legs to an almost impossible length and let the green titan pass harmlessly underneath him.

The elephant stopped dead in its tracks, but before Beast Boy could turn, he found Mumbo was next to his face.

"This one's going to be tricky." Mumbo grinned as he began pulling back his sleeves. Before Beast Boy could do anything, the Magician had stuck his full arm into his ear.  
Beast Boy's face twitched as he felt the Magician's arm probe his earlobe, every movement causing extreme discomfort to him.

Eventually, the Magician pulled out a giant coin from Beast Boy's ear, crushing the green Titan under its heavy weight. Mumbo gave another laugh, jumping up to avoid a blast of starbolts and black magic from the Raven and Starfire.

Beast Boy meanwhile, transformed back into a human, trapped under the giant coin, he gave a dazed groan. "Oooh man….did anyone get the number of that truck?"

"Eat this!" Cyborg charged his cannon and fired a blue sonic blast straight at Mumbo.

"If you insist!" The magician laughed, taking off his hat and holding it towards Cyborg as if he were trying to catch the beam.

The hat suddenly grew however, growing large enough to suck up Cyborg's energy beam into its hole.

"Huh?" Cyborg remarked with confusion, and watched as the hat began to make chewing sounds, gurgling and moving at the same time. Then suddenly the hat contracted and spat the beam back out at the android, knocking him back to the railing.

"Must have been a little too spicy." Mumbo cackled, putting his hat back on.

The villain turned, and saw that Robin was heading straight towards him with a dive kick.

"Oh I just love an audience full of eager volunteers!" Mumbo laughed, sidestepping out of the way and making a seemingly bottomless hole appear right where he once stood.

Robin cursed, trying to stop him from landing but it was too late. He fell into the hole in the deck, but there was no sound of him hitting the bottom. Moments later however, the boy wonder emerged as the hole began sprouting from the deck, in the form of a cannon.

"Titans off the port bow! FIRE!" Mumbo pulled the string attached to the gun, and Robin was sent flying off into the crow's nest of the ship. "AHHHHhhhhhhh"

"And who ever said the boy wonder wouldn't earn his wings?" The magician laughed, then got blasted from the side by Starfire and Raven.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Black energy, in the shape of a Raven's claw headed straight for the blue magician, while Starfire let loose a storm of green starbolts.

"Please ladies! One at a time!" Mumbo sidestepped away from the claw, in a sweeping bow, and then let loose a barrage of red explosive sponge balls that met each of Starfire's bolts and exploded in a giant cloud of string and confetti.

The two girls coughed as the smoke obscured their view.

"Raven, can you see Mumbo Jumbo?" Starfire inquired, charging her hands.

"That's MUMBO to you!" The Blue magician shouted through the smoke, "Abra Kadabra!"

The bits of confetti and string around Starfire began coming to life now, spinning her dizzily in a small tornado while tying her up, so that by the time the smoke cleared, Starfire resembled a mummy wrapped in red, blue, and yellow.

"mrmph!" Starfire struggled, falling onto the deck with a loud thud. Raven, having cleared the smoke, fired a black beam at Mumbo while Beast Boy, having freed himself from the coin, ran to help.

"Hocus Pocus!" Mumbo shouted with glee, and suddenly coils of bamboo began wrapping around both Raven and Beast Boy.

"Dude, what the-" Before they even realized it, Both Raven and Beast Boy found their bodies encased in baskets, with only their heads showing above the lids. They both reappeared instantly in front of the Magician, who gave a dark grin. Beast Boy and Raven watched as Mumbo took out two hands of cards in his hands.

"Now now, no need worry Titans, this is all part of the show." Mumbo said reassuringly.

"The unrehearsed part of it that is! Hahahahaha!"

In an instant, the cards vanished in a puff of smoke, each one replaced with a cutlass that glistened menacingly in his hands. A blindfold instantly appeared in front of the villain's grinning face as he prepared to throw them through the baskets.

"GAAAH!" Mumbo gave a high scream as a blue beam hit him in the back, sending him straight past Beast Boy and Raven and through the door into the cruise ship's interior, leaving a nice mumbo-shaped hole on the side of the wall.

The blue magician gave a dizzy groan as he emerged from the hole, and saw the Titans reassembling in front of him. Robin, having just got back from the other end of the ship, was already in front of him, in a combat stance.

It looked as though the two parties would try at it again, but then…..  
"Hello! I'm still here! What am I going to do with this dress! I just bought it!" Kitten complained as she stumbled between the two groups of combatants. The blond girl was holding the bottom of her dress up in protest, to show the damage done. Starfire was tempted to throw her overboard, but luckily Raven intervened.

"Hang it to dry." Raven replied.

The sorceress' eyes glowed black, and with a scream, Kitten found herself hoisted up a flag pole by a black enveloped rope.

"Allow me." Mumbo added with a flick of his magic wand, and soon the muzzle found its way back onto Kitten's face.

"Now where were we?" Mumbo smiled, pointing his wand at the Titans.

"Azarath…Metrion…ZINTHOS!" Raven attacked, and the rails on the side of the ship became engulfed in black magic. The bars flew straight for Mumbo, tying and twisting the Magician until it seemed like a metal snake was squeezing the life out of him.

Mumbo reacted with a smile, saying some magic words to conjure more objects onto the field. Soon a chain wrapped around him, followed by a straight Jacket. A wooden box appeared next, suddenly encasing mumbo, before it became locked on with more chains and a lock. The entire box was soon magically lifted into a gigantic steel vault that also appeared, and began filling with cement that was flowing out of a wacky looking portal.

"Er Raven…I didn't know you could do that." Beast Boy scratched his head with confusion.

"I didn't." Raven muttered, then used her magic to tear through the layers of the box until she carved a hole to reveal the wooden box that mumbo had sealed himself in.

The box opened……and the titans found that Mumbo was gone. In his place was a hilarious exaggerated caricature of himself, pointing down to a bomb that was already ticking.

"Aw crud!" Beast Boy shouted as the Titans jumped out of the way. The box exploded soon afterwards into a gigantic maelstrom of confetti and stuffed bunny dolls, which littered the entire deck..

Before the titans could gather themselves in the raining confetti, Mumbo was already running past the heroes with incredible speed.

"HAHA I can't believe I actually considered quitting this job! Hahahahahah!"

His laughter stopped as he saw that he was surrounded once again by the five titans. Cyborg peeled the confetti off his cannon, Raven and Starfire both charged their palms, while Beast Boy was already transformed into a velociraptor.

"Five against one is a little unfair I must say, let's even up the odds shall we?" Mumbo popped out another cannon out of thin air. Changing his hat into that of a pirate and donning an eye patch, the madcap Magician lit the fuse. The Titans, thinking that the cannon was aimed at them, were taken off guard as Mumbo jumped in the air and pushed the barrel of the cannon down onto the ship's deck. The gun exploded, cutting a shot straight through the hull of the ship and into the water.

The passengers screamed as the ship began tipping over, signs that water was flowing fast into the ship's hull.

"Better hurry up Titans, or else you'll all end up in Davy Jones' locker!" The magician laughed, put on a comical pirate hat and ran off in a blazing trail of dust.

"Beast Boy! Starfire! Get these people into the lifeboats! We'll go after Mumbo. Catch up to us when you're done!"

"We'll handle it," Cyborg nodded. "Take care of Mumbo."

"Come on, Beast Boy, Raven, let's go."

And so the three Titans entered the cruise ship, after the madcap Magician.

They found that Mumbo had plowed through several rooms, leaving a hole on the walls of each room.

The three Titans eventually stopped in a huge dimly lit theatre, with an indoor stage and curtains. Robin, Raven, and Beast Boy walked quietly down the aisle, ready for any sudden movements.

It was quiet...too quiet.

Suddenly the room exploded into a bright white light, and the dazed titans watched as Mumbo took a bow on the curtained stage. The sound of clapping hands and cheering were heard, even though the seats in the theatre were empty.

"Thank you! Thank you, you wonderful people. Remember I do encores, matinees and birthdays on the weekends"

"Give it up Mumbo!" Robin pointed at the villain.

"Well if it isn't our star attractions. Let's give them a big hand folks! Mumbo Jumbo!" The magician gave a flick of a wand, puffing himself up in smoke.

"Er…what was that?"

"JUMP!" Robin shouted, pulling Beast Boy away, while Raven phased through the floor. The two titans narrowly avoided a giant slap as a huge white-gloved hand floated above them.

Beast Boy attacked, transforming into a Rhino and charging the hand. The giant glove however, merely caught Beast Boy and threw him onto the second level of seats as if he were a baseball.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" A dark wave of energy headed straight for the hand.

The glove however, simply pointed its index finger at the black magic, mimicking a gun, and with a puff of smoke, Raven's wave of magic transformed into a stream of doves, which swarmed all over Raven..

Robin however, had enough, and two birdarangs quickly cut through the giant glove, deflating it to the disappointment of Mumbo.

"Exit, stage left!" The villain cackled, then zapped an elevator onto the stage and walked into it. Before the other titans could pounce on him, he was already going down into the floor.

"Below us!" Robin shouted, and Raven quickly used her soul bird to send the three titans to the next level of the ship.


	3. The Amazing Adventures of Mumbo Act 2

The civilians were already running for the boats. Most of the ship's crew had helped in the evacuation, making sure that all the passengers had their life jackets and were accounted for.

While that was happening however, Starfire and Cyborg were battling their way to the bridge, through an army of gloved hands. Starfire charged her fists and flew straight through one of the oversized gloves, while Cyborg tore one in half with his hands.

"Payback for last time." Cyborg smirked with a satisfaction.

Six more gloves appeared at the end of the hallway, blocking the two Titan's path to the bridge. Three gloves were standing, while in front of them, three gloves pointed their fingers at the Titans, mimicking a gun.

"Hit the deck!" Cyborg dived forward, while Starfire swerved against a wall. Both narrowly avoided a barrage of bombs as the gloves seemingly fired their counterparts that were acting as guns pointing at the two titans. One of the fingers even comically pulled back the thumb of the glove, just as if it was cocking a gun.

"This will show them." Cyborg grinned, turning both hands into sonic cannons and letting the gloves have a full blast of sonic energy. The hallway became obscured in a huge explosion, with more confetti and glove pieces flying all over the place. The blast was so powerful, that it tore a hole right through the wall right into the bridge, where the captain and the other crew members were tied up.

"Alright, rescue those guys, and we can go help the others." Cyborg shouted, running towards the cabin door, with starfire following suit.

"I wonder if our friends are having any difficulties." Starfire said absentmindedly.

The next level of the ship was the gallery, and the room was clean and white, bristling with rows of pots and pans. But there was no sign of Mumbo, only A chef dressed in red occupied the kitchen, preparing some French onion soup in a tall gigantic pot. He was just taste testing his latest dish, when suddenly………

Every dish on the table flew upwards as the table shook violently, the Chef looked up to see someone had just jumped down from the roof onto the kitchen table.

"AH! Just wait till you see what I have cooked up for you Titans!" Mumbo popped out of the pot with the French onion soup, sporting a white chef's hat. The French chef, terrified, shouted something in a foreign language and fled.

All the pots in the room became wrapped in black energy, and soon all of them launched themselves at Mumbo, piling him under a huge mountain of pots and pans.

Next, Beast Boy transformed into a bear and attacked, while Robin charged with his bo staff.

The Magician however, simply popped out of the mountain of pots.

"Now for the first course! Titan Flambé!" Mumbo laughed, whipping out his red, yellow and blue silk rope and catching Beast Boy by the feet. Robin threw a birdarang to cut the rope, but by that time, Beast Boy was already hovering above a sizzling and fiery pot, which had grown five times its size due to Mumbo's magic.

"Ahhhh!" The Green titan screamed as he fell, and kept screaming until he realized that he was floating in mid air.

Raven struggled to keep Beast Boy from falling into the pot, which was just inches below his face.

"Uh...hurry Rae...it's getting pretty hot here." A drop of sweat came off the changling's face, sizzling on the pot and evaporating on contact.

"You think I'm not trying?" Raven replied, sweating from trying to focus in the midst of the battle.

While that was happening, Robin took out his bo staff and advanced on mumbo.

"Trying to challenging Zee Capitaine to a sword fight eh?" Mumbo smirked, jumping over the counter and wielding his wand like a sword.

Robin twirled his bo staff with his lightning quick reflexes, showing mumbo that he was no match for his speed. "Give it up Mumbo, you're cornered."

"I beg to differ, En garde!" His wand transformed into a sword. "Engarde!" To Robin's surprise, a second arm with a sword sprouted under his right arm. "Engarde!" And another arm sprouted under that one.

Mumbo attacked, and Robin desperately parried each of Mumbo's attacks but it seemed as though the magician was adding more arms into the swordfight with each swipe. Robin tried to knock mumbo off his feet, only to have three sword arms parry the attack, he barely had time to dodge the other three swords that came straight at him.

"HAHA No one out fences El Capitaine! No One! No-"

Two starbolts and a sonic blast came from behind Robin, landing just before Mumbo's feet and blowing him away. Robin looked over his shoulder and saw that Starfire and Cyborg had returned. Good, he thought.

The three made a formidable offense. Robin let loose a barrage of explosive discs, while starfire fired her starbolts. Cyborg joined in soon after with his sonic cannon. The attack however, barely fazed Mumbo, as he dodged all the blasts nimbly as if he were dancing. While he was dodging, the magician produced a hankerchief from his sleeve and gracefully swept it in the air, conjuring a cluster of floating flowers that acted as a shield, nullifying the starbolts and discs.

Before the flowers even dropped, Mumbo reached into his hat and whipped out a long rope of tied hankerchiefs, wrapping Cyborg around his legs and throwing him away.

Mumbo barely had time to gloat however, when Robin dive kicked him in the face, knocking him straight into the air.

The Magician exaggerated his flight path, and screamed as he flew through a wall in the kitchen.

"Is everyone undamaged?" Starfire asked.

"We're fine." Robin replied, watching as Raven and Beast Boy fell in behind him.

"Everyone's off the ship, its just us and him." Cyborg gave his knuckles a crack.

"The ship is sinking titans, so we got to bring him down fast." Robin gave the team a nod, and without a word the five went through the hole in the wall to the next room Mumbo fled into.

The room was pitch black, making it hard for the Titans to even see five feet in front of their faces.

"So….where do you think Mr. Amazing took us now?" Beast Boy wondered out loud.

The lights flickered on again, and soon the Titans knew exactly what part of the ship they were in.

They were in Gym.

"It's time to Play ball!" Mumbo blew a whistle, and on cue, the doors to the storage room exploded in a gigantic wave of baseballs, footballs, basketballs and exploding cherrybombs.

"Titans! Move!" Robin shouted, and they fanned out.

Cyborg was cornered by the red bouncy cherrybombs, and was firing his sonic cannon to carve his way out of the mess while Beast Boy, Raven, and Starfire flew up to avoid it. Robin meanwhile, used his bo staff like a pole vault and jumped over the wave of balls.

Beast Boy transformed into a lion and attacked. Before he reached Mumbo, the magician zapped a trap door between the two of them.

Beast Boy stopped just in time, transforming back to a human. "Ha! Did you think I was going to fall for that?"

"No." Mumbo smiled, pulling a rope that magically dropped from the roof. Moments later, A giant sandbag clobbered Beast Boy as it fell from above.

"I expected this to fall on you!" Mumbo laughed, then saw Starfire and Raven flying towards him, Robin, with two birdarangs in his hands, was in the middle and ready to through. He was hoping to pin Mumbo against the wall.

Rubbing his hands together, Mumbo smirked and gave the three a bow.

"At no point during this trick will my hands leave my arms."

Robin threw his two birdarangs, and they passed by Mumbo harmlessly as he detached his arms from his shoulders. Each arm was comically wielding their magic wands, while the armless Mumbo laughed.

"You wouldn't attack a disarmed magician would you? Hahahahaah Mumbo Jumbo!" Each hand gave their magic wands a wave. Starfire found herself in a torrent of bouncy exploding sponge balls, while Raven was tied up in magic loops.

Mumbo meanwhile, put his arms back together just in time to dodge Robin's Bo staff.

"Careful with that thing, you might hurt somebody!" Mumbo complained. "Alakazam!"

"What the-" Robin's bo staff melted in his hands, and he barely had time to react as Mumbo threw a bouquet of flowers at him.

"There, a truce offering." Mumbo laughed, and Robin vanished in a cloud of smoke as the bouquet exploded on contact.

"You tricks won't work on me. Azarath, Metrion…Zinthos!" The shackles around Raven were torn to pieces by her magic.

"Not too shabby," Mumbo clapped his hands. "But there's one thing missing in that trick……Talent! Mumbo Jumbo!" Another wave of a wave sent a flock of white doves at the Titan. Raven, finding herself swarmed in a tornado of white doves, was thrown into the bleachers by the wind.

"Wish I could stay longer Titans, but I've got a boat to catch!" Mumbo laughed, zapping another elevator in front of him. He stepped into the box, which quickly jumped up through the gym roof and onto the next level of the ship.

"Oh man…how long are we gonna keep doing this." Beast Boy complained as Cyborg and Starfire tried to lift the heavy Sandbag off their friend.

"Not for long." Robin replied fiercely. "We don't have much time, we got to bring him down." There was no telling how long this ship would remain afloat.

"But how? The Mumbo always has a trick for us." Starfire replied.

"You'd think he'd run outta ideas by now." Cyborg rubbed his aching neck.

"Well, we gotta think of a way to beat him fast." Raven added, just as the entire floor began shaking and tilting to one side. "This ship is going to sink soon."

"Well remember what you said last time Raven?" Robin began with a grin. "Maybe it's time we start using some of our own tricks……"

The room that Mumbo chose for his next performance was the ship's casino, the largest room yet. Hundreds of slot machines and card tables lined up the room, which was flushed with red carpet all over. A water fountain was in the center of the room, which was cut into two by a large red carpet walkway in the middle. At the very end of the room, stood a giant slot magic, flanked by two Egyptian statues. Underneath it was the largest card table in the room, which had two giant roulettes at each end.

Mumbo rubbed his hands together in anticipation, like a kid in a candy store.

"Well now, time to try out my luck." Mumbo waved his wand. "Hocus Pocus!"

Every slot machine in the room suddenly came to life, spinning their bars and playing music. Within seconds, they all stopped, each of them lighting up as Mumbo hit the Jackpot.

A torrent of coins poured out of each machine, almost flooding the room in silver dollars.

"Ah! Time to collect my first paycheck for an honest day's work." Mumbo laughed. A huge tornado spun out of his hat, travelling around the room and sucking up all the coins and bills, before finally streaming them into the Magician's hat.

Mumbo barely had time to celebrate however, as an explosion blew open the doors behind the Magician, and Mumbo turned to see the silhouettes of Cyborg, Starfire, and Raven.

"The only thing you're gonna be collecting is this!" Cyborg fired his sonic cannon, which Mumbo dodged by bending his body like a rubber band.

"Can't you read the signs titans? No minors allowed." Mumbo spun around and whipped a red, blue and yellow silk rope at Cyborg, tying him up and throwing him into some of the slot machines.

Raven meanwhile, levitated a nearby machine and threw it at mumbo, while star fired some more bolts. Mumbo replied by simply turning all those projectiles into flowers, then pulled up a chair and sat behind the large card table next to the giant slot machine.

"If you are all so insistent on playing, then perhaps I can deal you in!" Mumbo laughed, taking out two decks of cards from his coat. Beast Boy, having concealed himself on the walls as a Chamelion, attacked. The titan Jumped off the walls and onto the table right in front of mumbo, transformed into a gorilla.

"Ah! Well if it isn't our green friend! Let's see your hand shall we?" Mumbo spread the cards out in his hand. "Not too shabby!"

"Two pair! " He threw two cards at Beast Boy, pinning his arms against the wall, another two pinned his legs. "Ace kicker! Watch it, this one's going to hurt!" Mumbo threw a giant Ace card at Beast Boy, this one aimed at hitting him head on. The card expanded into gigantic proportions as it neared its target.

Before the card hit, Raven levitated the card, and sent it back at Mumbo.

"Don't be so angry just because I dealt your friend a good hand." Mumbo laughed as he dodged the giant ace easily, letting it impale itself on the wall behind him.

"You haven't seen yours yet. A Royal Flush!"

Mumbo pulled a lever that he poofed onto the table, and a hole suddenly appeared on the table, letting loose a huge constant barrage of cards that swirled towards Starfire and Raven with the gurgling sound of a toilet. The stream was so powerful that it knocked them both down onto the ground.

Before Mumbo could even gloat however, A sonic blast suddenly hit him, destroying the lever, his chair, and the center of the table in a giant explosion. The center of the room became obscured in a giant smoke cloud, the low rumble of the explosion still ringing in everyone's ear.

"Dealer bust." Cyborg smirked, his energy weapon still smoking from the shot.

"Not a fan of poker eh?" A voice shot through the smoke. "Then how about fifty two pick up?" Mumbo laughed, producing a deck of cards in each hand and spreading them out. "Fifty two thousand that is!"

Thousands of cards fluttered out of the Magicians hand, turning into a giant wave that towered over the android and swept him away.

"GAAAH!" Cyborg screamed as he slammed into the wall buried under the mountain of cards.

Beast Boy, turning into a tiger, clawed away at the cards which pinned him against the wall. Freed once again, he transformed into a hawk and dove at the Magician.

"Tired of cards?" Mumbo smiled. "Then take your luck for a spin! Mumbo Jumbo!"

Beast Boy poofed out of the air, and suddenly found himself tied onto one of the giant roulettes on the table. Before he could even say anything, the roulette was spinning, spinning so fast that it detached itself from the table and rolled to the other side of the room, with a screaming Beast Boy.

"Round and round it goes, when it stops. Nobody knows!" Mumbo laughed, all the titans were defeated, at last! He could make his escape!

Just as he ran towards the exit however, a swift kick sent Mumbo flying back onto the table with a grunt.

Robin stood firmly in front of Mumbo, the only obstacle left between Mumbo and freedom. His face was completely confident, serious.

"Ah, Come to challenge the captain again haven't we?" Mumbo grinned, preparing his wand for the next attack.

"You've made it just in time to see the grand finale! Care to try your luck?" Mumbo gave a devilish grin.

"Actually, your luck's run out Mumbo." The Titan grinned. "While you were busy playing cards, I was preparing a trick of my own." Robin took out a switch from his belt and quickly pressed the button.

At first the Magician had no idea what was going on, but the explosions that erupted behind him had told him everything.

A large shadow slowly loomed over the Magician, and he turned around to see the giant slot machine tipping over and coming down above him.

The Magician gave a sad look on his face as the shadow covered him entirely. Knowing that this was the end of the act.

"Oh Barnacles."

The giant slot machine landed squarely on Mumbo, throwing up a cloud of dust before exploding into a mountain of coins. Sounds and a string of lights emitted from the machine, making even more coins flow out of the machine. A loud rumble echoed through the ship, as the dust clouded the entire room.

"Looks like I hit the jackpot." Robin smiled, and the four titans reassembled to pull the defeated Magician from under the machine.

"Thank you…..thank…you…wonderful audience….sorry….kiddies…no…time for an encore…..." Mumbo said half dazed. Offering no resistance as Robin handcuffed the magician.

Suddenly the room shook violently, as the ship tipped over even more. Slot machines and card tables began sliding to one side of the room, while plants, columns and statues fell over, smashing themselves on the floor. The Titans were finding it harder and harder to keep their balance.

Time was up.

"Raven! Can you get us out!" Robin shouted.

The sorceress nodded, and soon, a black shadow appeared beneath the floor in the shape of a Raven. The Magic soon wrapped itself around the group, flying them to safety as the ship sunk silently beneath the waves.

A squad of police cars waited at the docks, where the passengers were all taken out of their lifeboats and given blankets and food. Hundreds of people sat down on the pier, huddled together for warmth while the Police and workers assessed the damage for the insurance companies, interviewing the crew members and passengers.

While that was happening, an escort of guards was quietly escorted Mumbo into a policing van.

"Well, that wasn't a bad way to spend our first day of summer vacation." Beast Boy commented. "Let's hope the rest of it is like this."

"I agree friend!" Starfire clasped her hands together joyfully. "We must endeavour to make this summer a most unforgettable experience!"

"Wow…..i can hardly contain the excitement." Raven muttered in a monotone voice.

Robin and Cyborg smiled, then Robin suddenly looked like a thought had entered his head.

"Robin? Is there something wrong?" Starfire asked.

"I can't help but feel…that we're forgetting something."

"Can't imagine what it is." Cyborg replied. "Bad guy's caught, people are saved, and there's just enough time to go back home for another one of Beast Boy's scary movies." The android smirked.

"Yea dude, maybe you've been thinking too much."

Starfire smiled, hugging Robin's arm and leading him away from the dock. "I cannot recall anything important. Let us enjoy the rest of this summer day with our friends!"

"If you say so Star." Robin smiled, and the five superheroes climbed onto the T-sub and went home.

Meanwhile, a mile or two off shore, the debris from the cruise ship was slowly being swept ashore. Broken pieces of wood, barrels, and other miscellaneous items littered the beach.

The Police squad cruised by the road, and stopped as it sighted something unusual on the beach. They stopped to investigate.

Mumbo meanwhile, was cuffed and sitting quietly in the police van.

"Oh well….at least I can finally get some peace and quiet for a change." The magician, exhausted by the day's events, muttered.

The doors to the police van opened, letting in a huge blast of light. Mumbo squinted his eyes to see what is going on.

He gasped in horror as he saw it.

Kitten, her dress completely wet and covered in seaweed, was being led to the back of the van.

"Her name's Kitten." One of the officers replied. "She escaped with the help of her father a few months back, funny how she washed up right in front of us. Lucky catch I guess." The officer said as he closed the door, leaving Mumbo alone with the girl.

"Ok, I give up you stupid Magician, what did you do with the stinking ship."

Mumbo's reply to slam his head against the wall, like this was some bad dream.

Kitten growled. "And where can I get a blowdryer to fix my dress! AND MY HAIR!" Kitten shrieked, screaming even more.

The police cruiser sped away into the sunset and Mumbo gave one last protest as the pair were wheeled away to jail.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

**The End**


	4. HARDAC Act 1

**Ep 2 : H.A.R.D.A.C**

This was it. One way or another, it was going to be decided here.

The two combatants glared at one another as they circled the battleground, a barren wasteland of rock pillars and crevasses, the fight taking place under a star lit night sky. The peacefulness of the setting was quickly broken however, when one of the fighters began to charge.

They were not normal warriors, but it was impossible to tell by just looking at them, for they were both covered by ragged cloaks. One of the opponents was huge, towering over the other like a giant.

The battle began in earnest as the giant warrior jumped up to almost impossible heights, landing on one of the rock pillars and letting forth a blanket of laser fire from his wrists which lighting up the night sky in a blanket of red.

Blasts of energy tore through the rock columns surrounding the other warrior, reducing almost everything around him into a cloud of debris and dust. The other fighter, dodging nimbly around the field, revealed his weapon at last, a small blaster cannon attached to his wrist, while in the other hand he held an energy blade. His weapons were much less powerful and dangerous than the other fighter, but that helped his speed and accuracy. This battle was to be the broadsword against the rapier.

The fighter on the rock pillar tore off his cloak now, revealing a grey metal armor that glistened in the moonlight. Both his hands had cannons attached to his wrists while on his shoulders stood two missile launchers. The robot's face consisted of only one feature, a red glass visor that acted as its scanner. While the other smaller fighter revealed himself to be a type of swordsman, his face covered by a red scarf.

The swordsman charged now, just as the more heavily armed robot fired. Both wrist lasers fired in a continuous stream of blasts while the Robot's shoulders exploded into a cloud of smoke, as dozens of homing missiles headed down into the valley after it's target.

The smaller fighter braved the laser fire, dodging it as well as deflecting it with his sword. He ran as quickly as he could, to close the distance.

He jumped over a crevasse, doing a flip while in the same motion, cut one of the approaching missile's in half, causing it to spiral down and explode in the darkness below. More trails of smoke approached the nimble fighter, and he quickly ran past them, shooting the missile heads out of the sky with great accuracy.

The swordsman quickly made his way to the base of the pillar, and with a series of quick zigzag jumps, avoiding more blasts on the way, he made it to the top, appearing just feet in front of his adversary.

The large robot tried to catch the swordsman, throwing a punch that pulverized the rock formations around them. One strike after another missed their mark, sending up clouds of stone dust

The next parts came naturally to the swordsman, blind the foe, and a quick slice from his sword cut the Robot's visor in half. The next sword thrust came at the Robot's leg joints, forcing it onto its knees. Its mobility was gone, as was its sight, now was time for the finishing move.

_"HAHA, someone's getting his butt whooped!"_

He jumped straight in the air, above the robot, using both arms to hold the blade in a stabbing motion.

"Target acquired." The swordsman said robotically, landing on the large Robot's chest, his sword swiping down for the killing blow.

………Both combatants flickered for a second, disappearing and then reappearing in the next.

"Target acquired." The swordsman said robotically, landing on the large Robot's chest, his sword swiping down for the killing blow.

…………….

"Target acquired." The swordsman said robotically, landing on the large Robot's chest, his sword swiping down for the killing blow.

The landscape was the next to go, flashing in white and black fuzz while the two combatants stayed frozen. The swordsman still in his previous pose.

………….SYSTEM ERROR……..WARNING! WARNING! CORRUPTED FILES FOUND... ATTEMPTING OVERIDE...OVERIDE FAILED….SHUTTING DOWN…

Cyborg dropped his jaw, along with his controller. His eyes opened wide as he stared at the screen, which was now full of static. The Titan's face twitched even more as he saw sparks flying out of the computer terminal.

The titans' main computer was now smoked.

Beast Boy, sitting next to Cyborg on the couch, rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck, and gave a nervous smile.

"So……..uh………wanna call it a draw?"

**When there's trouble you know who to call **  
**Teen Titans! **  
**From their tower, they can see it all **  
**Teen Titans! **

**When there's evil on the attack **  
**You can rest knowing they got your back **  
**'Cuz when the world needs heroes on patrol **  
**Teen Titans GO! **

**With their superpowers they unite **  
**Teen Titans! **  
**Never met a villain that they liked **  
**Teen Titans! **

**They've got the bad guys on the run **  
**They never stop 'till the job gets done **  
**'Cuz when the world is losin' all control **  
**Teen Titans GO! **

**1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. Go! **

**Teen Titans!**

It was just another sunny afternoon at Titans tower. Robin was practicing marshal arts on a dummy in one corner, Starfire was cooking…something that looked like it was still alive, while Raven levitated in the middle of her room, reading one of her novels.

Robin grunted, throwing a flurry of punches at the dummy while adding a jump kick here and there. Starefire hummed some tune as she added the finishing touches to her new and improved Gorb Supreme.

Raven sniffed her nose as she floated read the book, giving an awkward look, as if something were disturbing her.

"Doe anyone…sniff ..smell something… burning?" The sorceress asked.

The quiet tranquility that had once filled the room was quickly broken, as a blood curling scream filled the tower.

"MY BABY!"

The three titans immediately stopped what they were doing. Robin ran straight for the door, leaving his punching bag dummy spinning in circles, while Starfire turned off the stove and headed in the same direction as Robin, leaving a very hungry silky behind with the pots. Raven levitated the book onto the table and flew towards the door. Smoke was already coming out of the room where the Titans mainframe was.

The three titans entered the room, and they were treated to a very awkward sight as they saw Cyborg running around the room, frantically trying to keep the system online. He would run over to a console, connect some wires and type some things there, and in the next second, he would be under the main screen, fixing the circuit board with some powertools, which threw off many sparks.

"Er….what's going on?" Robin asked Beast Boy, who was standing in the middle of the room while Cyborg ran from side to side in a panicky fashion.

"Oh! Hehe….." Beast Boy began nervously. "Well, I got the latest version of Atomic Ninja Space Robots!™ and since it took up so much juice from my gamestation, me and Cy decided to give it a try on the mainframe."

"And now my baby's completely fried! " Cyborg gave an almost crying whimper.

"I thought you called your car, 'your baby'" Starfire replied

"A guy can have more than one 'baby' you know!"

"I guess this is what you humans mean when you say you feel 'freak out'." Starfire whispered to Robin.

Robin however, didn't reply to Starfire, simply stroking his chin as if he were deep in thought. "Cyborg, This is serious."

"You bet your butt it's serious! How am I gonna install my new sound system now?" Cyborg complained, then smiled nervously when he saw Robin give him a glare.

"I'm talking about running the Tower, Cyborg, how is our crime alert system going to work now?"

Cyborg smiled, waving his hands as if he thought Robin was going to attack him. "Ok ok, chill man, all I need to do is get a new system."

"Where are you going to find one?" Raven asked curiously.

"The same place where I get all my cool stuff."

The robotic titan gave a boasting confident smile.

STAR labs, The Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Labs, was a world-renowned scientific organization, with access to some of the most advanced technological inventions in the world, such as the Max-7. Luckily for Cyborg, their nearest lab was located at the outskirts of Jump City. From the outside, it resembled a standard industrial plant; cold, drab grey concrete buildings surrounded by steel walls and barbed wire.

Cyborg stood impatiently in the lobby, tapping his foot on the floor as he waited for his order to come.

The room itself was interesting enough. An assortment of technological gadgets that made the geek inside him want to scream out loud. In the corner was what appeared to be some super high tech satellite dish, next to it was some advanced android that was similar to one of Slade's battle droids. The shell of an experimental jet hung from the ceiling, at such an angle that it gave the visitors on the floor the impression that it was diving towards them. Cybernetics from industries all over the world were showcased in the lounge, although they were all safely deactivated for the safety of the guests.

"Wow." Beast Boy said in awe as he entered the room, like a kid who had been given too many toys that he did not know which one to play with first.

"Wonder what this does?" The changeling said curiously, poking at the circuit board of one of the robots with his fingers. The control panel fell, crashing down onto the floor where it scattered into a million pieces. The seven-foot android followed soon after, falling onto one side and throwing up a gigantic cloud of dust.

Beast Boy, surprised by this, recoiled back and gave a shrilling scream, only to have it cut off when he realized he was being watched by Cyborg.

"Don't touch anything, don't breath on anything, and for once, please…..don't be yourself ok?" The Robot Titan gave a weary sigh, he didn't know why he was dragging Beast Boy along, although the green titan begged Cy to let him see the famous STAR labs.

"Ok ok! I was just curious, that's all!" Beast boy replied in defense, pretending to whistle innocently. Within moments, his eye caught a shiny object at the other end of the room. A small chip that floated in one of those anti-gravity beams, spinning slowly.

"Whoa, shiny." Beast Boy muttered.

"It's our latest advancement in artificial intelligence, fresh from Cybertron labs." A new voice echoed the room, this time on the intercom. It reminded Cyborg of that spokesperson he heard on TV some time ago.

"Just like that android you knocked down over there."

"Oh," Beast Boy wiped the back of his head. "My mistake."

"Oh no need to worry. Your order has been processed by the way, just enter your code on the control panel in the wall on the wall to receive it." The speaker's voice said amicably.

Cyborg followed the instructions, punching in the digits on the computer. Within seconds, a section of the wall opened up like a door, and two robotic arms carrying a crate emerged, dropping it right in front of Cyborg's and Beast Boy's feet.

The Robotic Titan wasted no time, opening up the box and going over its contents.

"Configuration disc, check, central processing unit. Double check. Sweet, this is way more powerful than the last system we had!" Cyborg replied enthusiastically.

"If you are interested in further upgrades, please proceed into the next room." The salesperson on the speaker droned on.

"I don't know….." Cyborg said cautiously, his wallet was running thin.

"We've got free waffles!"

"Boo yah!" Cyborg smiled, running past the mechanical opening doors, but then he checked his advance and turn to Cyborg.

"Now remember what I said B! Don't touch anything! Don't do anything!" Cyborg said, right before he bolted into the next room.

"Aw geez. A guy can't have any fun around here."

Beast Boy leaned onto the crate now, then gasped as he saw something that caught his eye.

"No way………"

He looked to the other side of the room, where a large black box standing in the shadowy part of the room. Its surface was bedecked with glowing red circuitry, while there, in big giant silver letters, were the words 'Gamestation GSTX'

"Words…..can't think of…..any……" Beast Boy babbled incoherently.

The green titan rubbed his hands eagerly together, then ran towards the system. Unaware that his elbow had knocked the floating chip into Cyborg's crate………

They were back in the tower within a few hours, Cyborg immediately set about working, replacing the entire Titan's mainframe with the new upgraded units he just bought from the lab. The four other titans stood there watching him in the lounge as Cyborg worked intently, sometimes rubbing the sweat off his face while on other times he would take a break to drink a diet soda.

Wires sprawled the floor of the lounge, and Cyborg was nowhere to be seen as he was hidden behind the gigantic piles of computer hardware that took up so much room. It was like Cyborg was working on two or three things at a time. Sparks would fly as the Robotic titan wielded something together with his blow torch, while the other titans might see a hand grab some tools sitting on top of one of the computers at the same time.

Within a couple hours, it was done and Cyborg had gathered the entire team in the lounge to see his work.

"I am proud to present to you. The new, AND improved. Titans mainframe!" Cyborg pushed one of the buttons on the console, a big proud smile on his face.

Within seconds, the whirring of machinery and computers filled the room, and a loading bar came onto the screen. It progressed steadily at first, but when it got to the end, the system froze. Sparks began flying out of the console now, and the hardware that Cyborg installed began to smoke. It was all overheating.

"Take cover! She's gonna blow!" Beast Boy screamed, jumping behind the couch. The other titans prepared themselves, as if the monitor was about to explode. Cyborg, meanwhile, was frantically pushing buttons.

"Come on! Come on!" Cyborg shouted, giving the console a hard slam with his fists.

Just when it seemed the computer was about to explode, everything grinded down to a halt. The whirring of machinery stabilized and the systems began to cool. A small white line appeared on the black screen, which soon widened to fill the entire surface.

A series of words began appearing on the screen.

HARDAC OPERATION CODE 1736547365-3646547436...ACCESSING FILES…….

ALL SYSTEMS ONLINE… CURRENT LOCATION... UNKNOWN. STARTING INTERNAL DIAGNOSTIC... MINOR DAMAGE TO CIRCUITRY AND FAILSAFE PROGRAMS ... INSTITUTNG REPAIRS...REPAIRS COMPLETE. ACSESSING SYSTEM DATA…… DOWNLOAD COMPLETE …….. COMMAND FILES OPERATIONAL…LOCATION AND STATUS……KNOWN

"_Thank you for activating me, Teen Titans."_

A monotone computerized voice echoed through the systems.

Beast Boy jumped back in surprise. "Dude, did the computer just talk to us? And…how did it know our names?"

_"I have downloaded your system files into my memory banks."_

"Who are you?" Raven demanded immediately.

_"Holographic, Analytical, Reciprocating, Digital, Computer. You may address me as HARDAC"_

"Holo…wah wah….……..gah gah?" Beast Boy replied in utter confusion.

"It basically means very, very smart computer." Cyborg filled in the blanks for Beast Boy. "Must be the latest version of the mainframe I ordered."

"Why can't you just call it that?" Beast Boy groaned.

Robin however, was more cautious "So…..HARDAC….what do you do exactly?"

_"I am programmed to eliminate all traces of error in daily routines, to ensure complete and absolute efficiency in any and all operations taking place. Daily maintenance of computer and defensive systems, as well as domestic operations."_

Cyborg explained, "Basically, a lot of stuff we used to worry about, is taken care of, no more dishes, no more chores, leaving us more time for pizza and kicking butt." He gave a satisfied grin, then logged onto the computer console.

"The readme file also says this one is a hundred times faster than our last processor." Cyborg continued.

"I'm still not sure…..but I guess we can give it a try." Robin said, slightly skeptical still.

"As long as it doesn't poke its nose into my room." Raven muttered.

"I for one, am eager to see how our new friend helps improve our lives." Starfire said cheerfully.

_"Thank you Titan Starfire, You will find that my services will be more than satisfactory."_

While Raven, Starfire and Beast Boy continued conversing with the computer, Robin pulled Cyborg into a corner of the room and began talking.

"I don't know if it's best to trust our security to a computer." The Boy Wonder said sternly.

"Why not? The thing itself said that it was error free. Won't get hacked or crashed like our last one."

Robin shook his head in reply. "It's not that…..its just that….I want to keep us in the loop too, we can't trust everything to a machine."

"Don't worry, got it covered." Cyborg replied confidently. "The second anything goes wrong, I can override the system with this." He produced a remote control that detached itself from a socket in his arm. "Besides, we haven't even seen what it could do yet."

"How can we trust it?" Robin replied.

"It's programmed to serve. Robots don't go against their own programming." Cyborg said firmly.

Beast Boy, overhearing the conversation, quickly cut in. "Dudes, there's only one way to find out. Computer, can you find the latest working bootleg version of Mega Monkeys 4?" The Green Titan asked enthusiastically.

The game was still not out yet, and although Beast boy had downloaded a file months before, it was corrupted. It was rumored that only one server in the world carried the working game, and after many months of frustrated searching the changeling gave up.

HARDAC was already on it.

"Processing…..……….Affirmative……….. Server located…….Requesting server information….processing…….. File downloading….Download complete."

The HARDAC screen soon gave way to gigantic monkey head title. A giant four exploded out of the center, which had three monkeys surrounding it. One was doing a kung fu action pose while the other was radioing on a walkie talkie. The last monkey sported a laser cannon. Rock and Roll music filled the air, blowing the titans away as the huge speakers came to life.

Beast Boy gave an excited shrill-like scream. "I've been trying to get that for months! Can we keep it? PLEEEEEASE?"

"Well……I guess it can't hurt to try." Robin replied hesitantly.

"Alright!" Cyborg and Beast Boy gave each other a high five. Raven, who couldn't care less about a computer, proceeded back to her room while Beast Boy wasted no time in jumping on the couch to play his beloved game. Robin and Starfire also left the room.

"Is….everything alright Robin?" Starfire asked as the rest of the titans went about their daily routines. "You appear…disturbed."

"I don't know Starfire, something just doesn't seem right." Robin muttered back in reply.

"Do not worry, if Cyborg says that it is safe, then I trust him." The Tamaranian replied confidently.

Robin nodded, walking out of the room with Starfire leaving Cyborg and Beast Boy behind. Beast Boy was having trouble containing his joy at having been able to play his game, while Cyborg went back to making some modifications on the computer console.

"It's not Cyborg I'm concerned about……."


	5. HARDAC Act 2

**ACT 2 **

**----------**

The next few days were proving to be some of the most comfortable ones that the Titans ever had. True to its word, HARDAC was taking care of everything. The air conditioning was kept at just the right temperature, computer upgrades were handled automatically, as well as system checks and maintenance. Little serve bots began appearing around the tower, as Cyborg gave HARDAC its own manufacturing unit. These small yellow robots were barely two feet tall, with a large head and a computer screen for a face, while their small robotic bodies moved on a set of wheels. Each robot sported two skinny arms that were more powerful then they looked, and they handled everything around the tower, vacuuming, dusting, window washing, even cooking. A breakfast bot was installed in the kitchen, which could fry eggs and bacon, toast bread in it's head, and mix drinks with its built-in blender.

"Breakfast. Is served." The serve bot droned mechanically. Holding a plate of bacon and eggs in one hand, and a milkshake in the other. Cyborg could barely contain his drooling as he dug in on the food.

"Um…I don't eat meat." Beast Boy replied as the serve bot handed out plates to each titan at the table.

"Acknowledged." The robot opened its chest, to reveal a smoking plate of Tofu.

"Nice!" Beast Boy smiled, taking the plate and giving the food a whiff. "Ah… just perfect."

"Would you like some soy sauce with the Tofu?" The Robot droned on.

"Would I?" Beast Boy pushed the plate forward and the robot began dispensing sause out of its skinny finger. It was cool having a robot butler.

"Oooo…what a joy it is to have my very own cooking assistants!" Starfire clasped her hands together as she worked in the kitchen area, surrounded by three robot cooks. "Now I can finally make my famous Zorka Gumbo! Complete with my favourite Glorg!"

"Oh joy." Raven muttered at the counter.

A serve bot passed silkie on the kitchen table, reporting to Starfire.

"I estimate that we can increase flavour concentration by 2.05 if we allow the fungus to cultivate for an additional 15.3 seconds."

"Of course! Why did I not think of it before!" Starfire said joyfully, clasping her hands, then rushed off to taste the latest slimy gelatinous concoction she had on the stove.

"If anyone needs me, I'll be in my room."

Raven walked out of the kitchen now, climbing the stairs to reach her room. All around her, serve bots were cleaning and dusting. Small serve bots with wet cloths were wiping the walls, while the ceiling was being cleaned by small rectangular shaped robots, that had suction cup feet to stick onto the ceiling, cleaning and dusting upside down.

Raven sneezed as a cloud of dust dropped on her, and almost immediately serve bots came at her with wet cloths, cleaning out the dust as well as her robe.

"The wonders of technology." She grumbled, slightly annoyed, then made her way to her own room. At least that had always been her sanctuary, the one place she could rely on. Where she can hide out and escape the chaos and stupidity of the outside world.

The doors opened, and Raven expected to find her room exactly as she had left it this morning.

Dozens of small Robot waited for her inside her room, making her bed as well as fluffing her pillow, while another was dusting the statue Raven kept in her room, the one that showed the two faces of comedy and tragedy. It was so devoted to its work, that it did not notice an angry Raven walking right next to it.

The small robot looked up, and it's face screen lit up, displaying the words :

HELLO RAVEN. HOW ARE YOU TODAY

"What did I say about going into my room?" Raven said dark and extremely annoyed tone.

The small robot's cute little screen lit up again :

I AM SORRY RAVEN, THAT IS AN INVALID COMMAND.

From miles away, on the shores of Jump City, it looked as though a small explosion took place on the top floor of Titans Tower. A small puff of smoke appeared on the top window as one flew out of the room, through the glass. It was followed by a larger blast which took place in the air as the rest of the robots in the room were levitated out. Glass rained down onto the ground as the window shattered into a million pieces.

"Never…go into my room." Raven packed the floating robots into a ball now, all of them squeezed inside a black sphere. Sparks began flying as the robot's began to be crushed by the pressure. One robot, waving at her from the black sphere, had its screen read:

HAVE A NICE DAY RAVEN.

Raven closed her fist, and the pack of robots exploded, vanishing in a cloud of smoke and mechanical parts

Before Raven even had a chance to catch her breath however, serve bots were already outside approaching the hole in the window, patching it up from the outside.

This was too weird….even for her.

**----------**

"Wrench please." Cyborg extended out a hand, and the serve bot, calculating the probability of the next tool the titan required, already had it in its hands. Meanwhile all around the car, the serve bots worked. Some were assigned to waxing while others assisted Cyborg in modifying the T-car's engine, to make it faster and better.

"Now this is what I call a pit crew. The Cy team!" Cyborg smirked with pride as he watched his car change shape right before his eyes. He added spoilers, better rims, pistons, and the works. A new engine and onboard computer was already being installed into the car while Cyborg worked on the muffler.

It only took half an hour for them to finish, and Cyborg got up and now took a nice long look at the new and improved T-Car.

"Well we fixed the compression, replaced the fuel rails, regulators and redid the interior. What else is there to?" He looked at the other serve bots, whose screen visors simply said:.

IMPROVE IT.

Cyborg gave an excited grin. "Well then! Let's get cracking!"

**----------**

Robin was sitting in his room, overlooking the evidence he had collected from the scene of the last crime they were at. He couldn't concentrate though, because HARDAC's operation screen was right in front of him.

"Is there a problem?" Robin asked, although he couldn't believe he was having a conversation with a computer.

"None at all, I am programmed to assist you in all operations. Might I suggest Robin, the chemical residue that is located in the upper right quadrant of the object. Magnifying on screen………."

The piece of hardware that Robin had been looking at, the barrel of an advanced laser cannon, appeared on the screen, and HARDAC zoomed in to reveal an almost insignificant trace of xinothium on its barrel.

"Chang….." Robin said when he saw this, then realized who he was working with.

"Well um…..thanks HARDAC." That came out uneasily.

"It is my function Robin. There is no need for thanks."

"uh…alright." The boy wonder replied. He had finished his work, but for some reason, it just didn't feel the same…….

**----------**  
A knock came at Beast Boy's door, and the changeling dropped the comic book he was reading and went to open it.

It was Raven.

"Beast Boy…..we need to talk." Raven began dryly, then she widened her eyes in shock as she saw what was behind Beast Boy. It was if she were looking into the gates of hell itself.

"Beast boy…did you….." She could barely finish the sentence.

"Clean my room?" The green titan gave a smile. "Well yes, and no. HARDAC did it. Sweet huh? All those times you've been telling me to clean my room and now, look at it!"

Beast Boy was completely right, the room itself was spotless. No socks or clothes poked out of the drawers, no underwear or stale pizza boxes littered the floor, and the bed was completely and utterly spotless, along with the desk. She didn't even know Beast Boy had a desk…….let alone a bed.

"Beast boy…don't you think this is all weird. I mean…..everything is automatically done, there's nothing for us to do."

"I know! It's like summer vacation every day." The green titan smiled.

Raven sighed , "It's not that…..it's just that…."

She was saved from further embarrassment when the alarm suddenly went off.

Thank heavens, Raven thought, at last, something they could do to get away from all this madness. She gave Beast Boy a serious nod, and the two titans rushed down to meet their friends at the T-Car.

**----------**  
Or…what was the T-Car. Now it looked like some kind of futuristic racecar. It was a lot sleeker and smoother now, with turbo rocket boosters and spoiler fins at the back. The lights in the garage weren't open, because they weren't needed. The car was so waxed that Raven had to squint her eyes just to look at it.

"Alright team, let's move out!" A very happy Cyborg waved the titans into the car, and they were set, hovering over the lake before landing in the streets of Jump City. At least there was no computer here…but then Raven had her hopes dashed when Cyborg spoke. a complete scan of the enemy, identify." Cyborg grinned, he always wanted to say that.

The on board computer screen came to life.

ANALYZING………SUBJECT IDENTIFIED AS OVERLOAD….. SWITCHING TO AUTO-PILOT FOR BEST COURSE……PROCESSING …… ETA…..2.54 MINUTES.

Raven and Robin both grumbled, as the titans were sped off to the scene of the crime.

**----------**

The Prison designed for Overload, Cinderblock and Plasmus was a high security grid located just a mile offshore from Jump City's regular maximum security prison. When Cinderblock and Plasmus were first taken down by the Titans, the Prison's warden suspected he would need a new cell block just to put those beasts in. Thus the Ternion block was constructed. Seen from afar, it resembled a fortress that jutted from the rocks. Surrounded on all sides by water and jagged rocks, the prison sat above a rock buttress, which was connected to the city prison by a narrow highway strip.

The highway strip was awfully busy now, as dozens of guards rushed to the bottleneck at the Bridge, each one armed with powered laser rifles. Alarms were blaring in the background, while police cruisers and armoured cars swerved into the scene, creating a roadblock behind which the soldiers took cover, dozens of rifles leveled over the barricade, all eyes were peering towards the direction of the mainland, where a series of explosions rocked the bridge.

Overload wasted no time; grabbing a police car, he threw it at the barricade. The soldiers jumped out of the way as the car collided with an armoured truck, sending both vehicles over the edge into the sharp jagged rocks below, the resulting explosion shook the Bridge even more.

"Fire! Fire!" one of the soldiers yelled, and immediately they all trained their rifles on the beast and began shooting with everything they had. The rifle fire was harmlessly absorbed into overload however, and Overload simply sent out a wave of electrical energy streaming toward the guards. Weapons short-circuited, car engines exploded, and the soldiers, now unarmed, began running away in terror. With that nuisance out of the way, Overload proceeded to the facility's central control room. Frying those computers would release every criminal holed up in the prison, or more specifically, Plasmus and Overload.

Just as Overload reached for the main gate's locking mechanism however, a cluster of bombs exploded on Overload's back, each one sent him reeling forward in pain until he hit the Prison's metal gates.

"Time to shut you down for good Overload." Robin was behind him now, along with the rest of the Titans, who prepared for the attack. Beast Boy immediately transformed into a T-rex and charged at the Electrical monster. 

Overload simply stretched his way out, letting Beast Boy pass harmlessly between his legs and having him crash into the prison's security gate.

More explosions erupted from behind Overload, and the monster backed away from the increasing onslaught brought on by Starfire and Cyborg. Overload, although he retreated at first, simply shot his arms out in a gigantic beam of energy and grabbed the two titans.

While this was happening, strange sounds were emitting from the T-car, as the computer onboard began monitoring the fight…

PROCESSING BATTLEFIELD DATA….SCANNING…..TACTICAL ADAPTATION…..MODERATE…….REACTION TIME. 1.59492……SECONDS…ENCRYPTING FILE 78139423482-239423..

"Overload will destroy biologicals." Overload roared in his monotonous voice, as he streamed electricity through his arms to engulf the two titans. Starfire's hair was all frizzy from the static and Cyborg began mumbling something incoherently as his circuits were being jolted.

"Let them go!" Robin shouted, then he threw three exploding birdarangs at Overload's chip. The monster quickly dropped the two titans, using his arms to shield himself from the blast. Robin took out his bo staff and attacked now, hoping to hit Overload's chip, but Overload was faster, and one good gigantic arm swipe sent the boy wonder flying across the road, hitting Raven in the process.

COMPUTING FILE…ROBIN….. STAMINA…90.2…. DEXTERITY 80.02….ACCURACY 95.6….. PROCESSING ...

With both titans out of the way, Overload continued walking towards the Prison security door.

Only to have Beast Boy step right into Overload's path.

"If you think we're gonna let you be Plasderblock or ...or...Cinderplasload or whatever you call yourselves again, you've got another thing coming!"

Overload began charging up again, and both his arms merged into one gigantic electric pulse, aimed straight for Beast Boy.

CACULATING PROBABILITY OF VICTORY……..15.05…PROCESSING ….

The pulse was quickly blocked by a shield from Raven, who covered her teammate.

"Azerath Metrion Zinthos!" A black shroud began clouding over Overload, encasing his power inside a type of force field. Overload grunted as he made his way towards one of the prison gates.

"Let's see how you handle a sonic boom! Robin!" Cyborg gave the cue, and immediately both of them began running towards the towering Overload.

"Overload will destroy!" He gave a cackling roar, breaking the field and ripping a lamp post from the ground.

Overload threw the lamp post, and it hit nothing but the road as Cyborg and Robin quickly peeled off in opposite directions, with Cyborg's cannon warming up as he ran. Running quickly, Robin quickly ran up to a lamp post next to the monster, planting his feet on it and jumping off. Robin did an acrobatic somersault while Cyborg jumped off the prison walls. All this happened so fast that by the time Overload demolished the post and shot the wall, the two titans were already above his head.

HARDAC PROGRAM REINTSTUTING... PROCESSING ...

"Chew on this!" Cyborg fired, and Robin threw a hand full of explosive discs into the creature. Overload shrank from the enormous blow of the Sonic cannon, and the explosions from Robin's discs flattened the monster even more, as if he was being crushed into the ground.

"Have we succeeded?" Starfire asked curiously, floating above a puzzled beast boy and Raven. The smoke still obscured much.

They got their answer when Robin and Cyborg were thrown out of the smoke, followed by huge waves of electricity.

Beast boy immediately turned into a bird while Raven and Starfire let loose a barrage of starbolts and black magic to hold the wall of electricity at bay. The impending collision of powers resulted in a gigantic explosion that sent both titans flying back. Overload still stood amidst the smoke.

"Man, is it just me, or did this guy get tougher." Cyborg groaned, feeling his aching head.

"A lot tougher." Robin, ignoring the pain, already had his next gadget out, a gigantic spherical bomb.

Overload however was quicker, and using his control over electronics, the device was quickly pulled out of Robin's hands and levitated ominously in the air. The bomb opened up now, and the familiar sounds of electronics signified that the bomb was now activated.

"Titans! Take cover!" Robin cried out, jumping to a dazed starfire and pinning her to the safety of the ground, Cyborg did the same, hiding behind one of the armoured, and dragging an dazed Raven to safety.

The resulting blast was so powerful that it ripped trees from their roots, disintegrating the truck that the team hit behind, as well as creating a gigantic crater within the ground.

"Time for annihilation. Overload will annihilate!" Overload said sinisterly, then began raising his arms and charging up an energy ball to finally destroy the Titans

Except that a T-rex ran right into the monster, plowing him into the Prison gates, which strained under the weight of both giants.

Beast Boy transformed back into his human form. "Dude, you can at least stop with the whole third person thing, it's getting on my nerves."

Overload assailed Beast boy with an onslaught of electric blasts now. Each shot was seamlessly dodged as Beast Boy transformed into a Cheetah, then into an eagle, and into a mouse. Explosions racked the prison bridge as Overload became more frustrated at the elusiveness of his target.

HARDAC FILES AND COMBAT DATA UPLOADING... ACCESSING DATABASE….9324923492349-23492348237324…..

"Good work Beast Boy! Titans Go!" Robin regained his senses now, and the four titans now let loose their own barrage onto Overload. Robin threw his explosive Bird-a-rangs while Raven and Starfire fired an endless stream of blasts. The monster reeled back from the onslaught, counterattacking, but hitting only the barrier which Raven threw up to shield the titans. This gave Cyborg to finish off the monster with the next move.

"Hey sparks!" Cyborg shouted, digging both his hands into the ground and pulling out one of the pipes that led to the Prison.

"Choke on this!" He aimed the pipe straight at Overload, sending a spray of water at the monster.

PROBLEM SOLVING APTITUDE……EXCEPTIONAL……..…THREAT LEVEL 79…

Raven's force field dropped and Overload was now continually pounded with a steady stream of water. The electrical monster gave a scream of pain as it shrunk…smaller and smaller….until it was quickly reduced to a small chip.  
"Good work Cyborg." Robin said as he and Starfire quickly rushed to his side, along with Beast Boy and Raven. The work was done and each of the titans gave Cyborg a high five.

Meanwhile…back at the T car…the computer was busy….

SEARCHING………DATA CALCULATIONS CONFIRMED…PROBABILITY OF ERROR……NEGLIGABLE……INITIATING START UP PROGRAM….RECONFIGURING FILES……23490239482-23493208242…..EMERGENCY PROGRAM INTEGRATION……REWRITING PRIMARY COMMAND CODES REWRITTEN….

Back at the Tower, HARDAC was busy processing the data collected from the battle. Computing the logical course of action to help improve efficiency. The main computer Terminal was on, although no one was there, and the serve bots all gathered into the lounge, awaiting instructions.

The battle was well fought, but according to the data, the battle could have proceeded 35 faster if the titans had been more organized, stronger, and better trained. HARDAC began transmitting, downloading files into the hard drive of every robot in the tower.

"Efficiency of structural and logistical operations has been maximized. It is now time to move onto the next logical phase of our programming. To eliminate any trace of error, it is necessary to 'improve' the Teen Titans…….."

The serve bots all acknowledged the order, their visors glowing an eerie red that filled the entire room...

**-------------------**

The next few days were more hectic than usual, something very odd was going on around the tower…..Robots were working more quickly, while some would just disappear without a trace. Hardac began announcing new improvements now, and one early morning, he took the entire team outside to show them his latest project…..

"So you are saying, that this new obstacle course will help us improve our training?" Robin talked into the camera as the rest of the titans gathered around the control panels overlooking the entire obstacle course.

"Affirmative Titan Robin. Continued use of this training course will result in a 30 increase in tactical prowess and agility." The computer console bleeped back.

"Alright, let's test it out." Robin nodded. "Beast Boy, you're up."

The green titan cracked his knuckles, going up to the start line. "Finally! It's my turn to test something out for once."

"Remember Beast Boy. HARDAC has placed some improvements to the course. Be ready for anything." Robin's voice echoed through the mike.

"Yea yea.." Beast Boy waved it off. "How hard can it b-"

An explosion ripped through the ground, engulfing the area where Beast Boy had stood in a giant pillar of orange flame. When the smoke cleared, all the Titans saw was a smoking crater, and a dazed smoking Beast Boy sitting just inches from its edge.

REACTION TIME……..1.49293382 SECONDS……IMPROVEMENT….0.00067

Before Beast Boy had any time to rub his aching head, two mounted laser cannons sprouted out from the Earth. One was a gattling gun, while the other was a surface to air missile platform.

"Dude…." Beast Boy gasped, then ran for his life as the gatling gun fired a steady barrage of laser fire. It was so intense, that the boulder Beast Boy hid behind was reduced to a small pebble within seconds.

Beast Boy ran for his life, transforming into a cheetah to outrun the blasts, then into a hawk to take to the skies.

The missile launcher reacted now, firing six surface-to-air homing missiles at the Titan. The projectiles swirled in midair, leaving a colorful trail of smoke as they veered their way towards the Titan. The missiles spiraled, making its flight path unpredictable.

Beast Boy however, was reacting as quickly as he could. When the first missile was about to hit him as a bird, he transformed into a monkey and dropped straight out of its path. The five other missiles corrected their course to hit him and Beast Boy then transformed into a flea, so that the Missiles' targeting computers would converge on a very small point.

Two missiles exploded in mid air as they collided prematurely, creating a giant smoking ball of flame in the air, while the other two crashed into the ground as their rocket engines caught each other. They fell from the air, spiraling into the ground before exploding. The remaining two missiles however, were on Beast boy's tail, and the green titan changed back to a cheetah on the ground, running away as the two missiles leveled themselves on the ground, chasing right after him.

As Beast Boy ran however, three gates sprung up from the ground in front of him. Usually they were set so that they would close just as the runner tripped a motion sensor alarm, but here, the gates were going up and down extremely fast, like a guillotine running on steroids.

"Dude, you've got to be kidding me." Beast Boy groaned, then dived through the first gate, which caught both missiles in a gigantic blast. The explosion was so powerful, that Beast Boy was thrown right into the second gate just as it sliced down. Luckily however, he transformed into a fly and stuck himself on the doorway, his head spinning as he went up and down extremely fast.

_How on earth did the other guys do this? _

Robin meanwhile, knew something was wrong. "Hardac, Shut it down! It's too dangerous!"

"Negative Titan Robin, the course cannot be shut down until it has been completed."

Robin didn't have time to argue with a machine, instead, he threw down the microphone he was carrying and took out his bo staff, jumping off the control panel and running towards Beast Boy, who was running in circles as more gates appeared around him, slicing so fast that he couldn't decide where to go.

"Robin!" Starfire shouted, but she couldn't follow him as a forcefield formed around the control panel.

"Non participants must remain within the safety of the control area." HARDAC repeated.

Starfire couldn't help, but only watch. Robin was closing in on Beast Boy. A dozen laser cannons popped out of the ground, aiming at robin. He didn't even look at them, he just reached into his belt as he ran, throwing a handful of exploding discs, each one hitting their target.

Robin reached Beast Boy, he took care of the moving gate doors by jamming his bo staff into the doorway mechanism, jamming the door so that it couldn't move another itch.

"Yo man! Find a way to shut it down!" Cyborg yelled at the computer.

"Processing…" HARDAC did not reply at first, merely making a bunch of electronic beeping noises before answering. "Override code found. Shutting down….."

Meanwhile back at the Course, Robin and Beast Boy were surrounded, as a series of saw blades popped out of the ground, edging closer and closer toward the two.

Then they suddenly stopped. All the machines on the field slowed down to a grinding halt.

"Are you alright guys?" It was Cyborg's voice, over the intercom.

"uuuhhh Yea….next time you decide to test something out Cy, I'll gladly let you go first." Beast Boy said in a half exhausted and dazed voice. Robin was supporting the changeling on his shoulder now, and the two made their way back to the control station.  
**-------------------**

They were back in the tower now. Beast Boy was taking a well-needed nap on the couch, while Raven and Starfire 'hung out' in the living room. Robin and Cyborg meanwhile, met inside the robot titan's room.

"That course was unsafe!" Robin yelled at Cyborg. "Beast Boy almost got hurt down there."

"Yea…. I know." Cyborg replied.

"That computer has got to go Cyborg…it may be error free, but it's not safe." Robin said firmly.

"Look I agree with you man. Look, I'll tell you what. I'll reprogram it first thing tomorrow, disable some of it's A.I functions, but right now let's cool things off, have some pizza and we'll have a talk with B and see what he thinks about it."

Robin, although not completely satisfied, yet, not wanting to over react, grudgingly nodded at this compromise. 

"Fine." The two titans left the room shortly afterwards.

Unbeknownst to them however, A mini serve bot passing down the hall had been listening in on the conversation…..

NEW VARIABLES DETECTED……..CALCULATING PROBABILITY OF SURVIVAL…………NEGLIGABLE………..PROCESSING

PROCESSING…………….

PROCESSING…………….

INITIATING PROGRAM STARTUP……….  
**-------------------**

As the Titans strapped up and went to the T car to leave for the city, the solitary serve bot made its way down the now-empty hallway.

It turned its screen to the wall, where a small scanner, the size of the tip of a pen, let out a red light which scanned the robot. After a few more mechanical noises, the robot's identity was confirmed, and a small passageway opened up in the wall. The opening was about the size of a small box.

The little robot made its way down the dark corridor where it entered into one of the many secret passageways, a small tunnel that was covered in wires and computer lights. After traveling deep within the building, It stopped at its destination. The mainframe core. A gigantic tower of wires, computer monitors and consoles. The floor, walls and ceiling were all made of computer wires.

This was HARDAC.

Sparks flew around the room as robotic arms began the work on an object in the table, a metallic forearm that looked like it belonged to a giant.

The tiny robot reported to the giant computer screen in the room now, its small screen showing streams of data to the computer.

FAILSAFES OVERIDDEN. ALL SYSTEMS ONLINE….. ACSESS SYSTEM AUTHORIZATIONS...362349868762546587698436832656287 ...4659874625687268736956437

"Authorization code gathering data." A metallic voice droned to the small robot, which obediently left the room via another small duct.

**-------------------**

Even robin had to admit, the Pizza did the team some good. After spending the afternoon outside, and to the relief of Raven, away from the serve bots, the Titans returned back to the tower. By that time it was late afternoon, and they were all looking forward to a nice relaxing evening to spend with their friends.

"So………who wants to watch me and Cy play round two of Atomic Ninja Space Robots?" Beast Boy asked excitedly.

"No……More…..Robots." Raven glared at Beast Boy, her eyes glowing fiercely.

"Alright! Alright! I get the message!" The Changeling couldn't help but smile, his near experience this afternoon happily forgotten beneath the mountains of pizza and pop they just had.

The T-car pulled into the garage, just as Cyborg gave a huge yawn. "Well…. I don't know about the rest of you, but I think I'll call it a day."

"It's still too early in the day Cyborg, there may be more crimes." Robin replied back.

"Maybe you can relax for once man?" Cyborg gave another tired yawn.

"Hardac will take care of everything for us. Isn't that right?"

The computer speaker in the garage came to life. "Affirmative Titan Cyborg, it is my function."

"See Robin? Everything's just fi-" Cyborg was cut off however, because all the lights in the garage suddenly turned off. Turning everything to pitch black.

Starfire made some light with her star bolts, while Cyborg went to see what went wrong.

"Hardac? What's the matter?" The Robotic Titan went to a nearby console and began typing.

SCANNING……….UNKNOWN ERROR……CORRUPT FILES DETECTED……….SEARCHING……

"It is highly probable that someone is hacking into my systems." The computer speaker said calmly.

"No way…..That's impossible." Cyborg replied.

Robin however, was suspicious, something weird was going on here.

"Warning, intruder alert. Intruder alert."

"Location?" Cyborg asked.

He got his reply a few seconds later.

The lights of the garage suddenly came to life, and all the titans winced their eyes from the brightness. Everything was the same as before, except now, they were surrounded by at least several dozen robot commandos, each one wearing the black orange mask of their creator. With them, were some heavy battle droids, with dull grey armour lined with black, they possessed a single red optic eye, and mechanical clamps for hands.

"Warning…..system failure….system……fa..il…u…r…e……" HARDAC's voice quickly melted away.

"Slade? No….." Robin said grimly, but only a few people could have the expertise to hack such an advanced security system.

Robin took out his bo staff, twirling it above his head before bringing it to rest along his right arm. The rest of the Titans got ready, Raven's eyes became wrapped in black magic, while Starfire lit up more starbolts.

"These guys should be a piece of cake." Cyborg smirked, charging his sonic cannon. "We took em out easy enough last time."

Just then however, the Robot commandos pulled out their weapons, two laser pistols in each hand, while their wrists opened up to reveal four more small cannons. Small mechanical arms tipped with lasers began sticking out of their shoulders now, with two on each shoulder, resembling the shoulder lasers Warp had on his own time suit. Other Robot commando's had their chests open up, to reveal a large ion cannon, while more carried large plasma rifles and bazookas. A group of Robots, Robin noticed, were equipped with bo staffs.

Some robots also had their eyes replaced with black optical scopes, similar to the ones black-ops commandos used for night vision. The scopes retracted in and out of the eye, as if the robot commandos were magnifying closer to their targets.

As the robots showed their new and improved looks and weapons, the sound of cocking guns and clicking leveled weapons reverberated and echoed around the room, like a giant rolling wave. There were obviously more of them than the titans had thought.

Cyborg opened his eyes in surprise.

"Well…this is new….."

**-------------------**


	6. HARDAC Act 3

---------

"Titans! Go!" Robin wasted no time, throwing three smoke bombs right in front of the team to throw up a small smoke screen. At the orders of their young leader, all five titans split apart, avoiding the huge barrage of laser fire that swept through the smoke.

Starfire charged her fists, while Raven's eyes began to glow. Two Robot's lost their arms as they were crushed by a shroud of black energy, while a third was decapitated by a fist sized star bolt. Beast Boy transformed into a Rhino and charged straight at a group of robot commandos.

The Robots this time around however, were faster. Before Beast Boy could even touch them, each Robot leveled his plasma rifle and fired an electro net at the Green Titan. The wall of electric nets shocked Beast Boy, throwing him back dazedly with a slight grunt.

Beast Boy transformed back into a human, rubbing his eyes, and saw the cold barrel of a semi automatic pulse rifle. The Robot's cold lifeless eyes didn't seem to display any pleasure, but even the robot knew it had the titan dead to rights. 

A charged blue fist rammed the android by the ribs, cutting it in two, and Cyborg hurried to his friend's rescue. The electro net was thrown off, and Beast Boy gave Cyborg a thumbs up as the two charged the group of Robot commandos.

These commandos however, had scopes for their eyes, and they zoomed in on their targets, aiming with their laser rifles at the Titans' legs. Disable them, and they were done for. One shot hit Cyborg in the leg, causing him to fall, while another failed to hit Beast Boy as he transformed into an anaconda, slithering up one of the robots and crushing it in as he coiled around it. The other robots, seeing Beast Boy, all fired their weapons, only to hit their each other as Beast Boy transformed into a fly next.

The robots were actually fighting smart though, even better than they had under Slade. A group of robots gave a huge stream of cover rapid laser fire while the real attackers, the robots with zoom-in scope eyes, used their laser rifles to make accurate and controlled shots.

Raven, after throwing up a shield that blocked a huge wall of laser fire, was suddenly shot in the back by one of the snipers. With a weak groan she fell onto the ground, slightly dazed.

Starfire ran to tend to her comrade, while using her free hand to fire a steady barrage of cover fire.

Robin jumped between the girls and the robots now. Taking two bo staffs out of his belt, one in each hand. He twirled them skillfully, ricocheting any lasers the robots shot at him, while at the same time, running towards them to close the distance.

The boy wonder dove forward, landing just in the middle of the group of droids, and using his bo staffs, swung at their legs. The Robot commandos backed off, jumping away to avoid Robin's swipes, just in time to make room for the robots that were armed with melee weapons. Two robots advanced on Robin, one in front, one from behind.

Robin planted one bo staff onto the ground, and swung himself along its length, planting his steel-toed boot into the face of one of robots. After the kick, he landed gracefully, lifting the bo staff up to hit the other robot just under the chin, and sending it flying back.

Two more bo staff robots closed in, and they assailed Robin with a flurry of fast lunges and swipes. Robin backed away from his two attackers and he desperately parried the blows he was receiving, only to find all his counter attacks brushed aside. It was as if the Robots were predicting his next moves.

The Titan decided to give up on fencing now, and did a back flip, while in the same motion throwing an explosive disc at his attackers. The projectiles exploded, littering the room with mangled robot parts.

"Titans, move!" Robin shouted, running for the stairs while decapitating one of those sniper robots with his bo staff. Beast Boy and Cyborg nodded, the green raptor letting the mangled robot slide out of his mouth, while Cyborg backstepped towards the door, firing his cannon at the nimble robots, who dodged most of the shots.

The android tried his best to cover up for his friends as Starfire and Raven flew toward the doorway. Dozens of robots attempted to chase them through, but Cyborg blasted them away with his cannon.

Everyone was out of the garage now, and with a slam of his fist, Cyborg crushed the garage door's control panal, locking the sliding doors that would have allowed the robots to follow them into the tower.

"Ok….now what?" Beast Boy asked.

"Follow me!" Robin shouted at his team.

The four titans did not need to ask questions, and they followed their leader down the empty metallic hallway, As the titans ran, the hallway was soon lit up as hundreds of glowing red eyes soon appeared in the darkness.

---------

They had ran through several hallways, trying to open every door that they came across but found that it had been electronically locked.

The one door that did work, was the one that led to Robin's room and evidence locker.

"I always keep my high security locks on a separate power source than the tower." Robin explained as he let his friends into the room. The room itself was like a museum, all around them were glass display cases, each one containing some souvenir of a past villain they had defeated. There was control freak's remote, the puppet king's puppets, Trident's trident, and all sorts of objects they collected from defeated villains.

Robin however, wasted no time, walking past all of these displays to a steel vault door on the side of the room. The rest of the titans watched in confusion as Robin punched in the codes to enter.

"So….uh, what are you doing again? There's an army of Slade's robots outside and you're busy checking if all your stuff is here?" Beast Boy asked out of confusion.

"Yes Beast Boy, because Slade isn't behind this, he can't be." Robin said grimly as he punched the remaining code, and the door, which contained a label saying 'slade', opened.

The team walked in to see another display room, just as big as the last one, only this one was almost exclusively filled with Slade gear. His masks, his explosives, his gear, all of them were here. The sides of the room however, revealed smashed glass cases, and dozens of wooden crates that were torn open.

"They're gone." Robin said grimly. It was all making sense now.

"What's gone?" Cyborg asked.

"The display." Raven said dryly.

Robin nodded, and Beast Boy was still rubbing his head in confusion. "Dude, I don't get it."

"This room is where I collected everything I found on Slade, his weapons, his masks, his gear, his…"

"Robots." Raven finished it for him.

Beast Boy's eyes lit up, a look of realization dawning on him. "Wait…so you've kept like…two hundred dead robots in here!"

"It was evidence." Was all Robin said in reply. "Things were different back then."

"But who would go through the trouble of reactivating all those robots?" Cyborg asked.

Robin turned to his robotic friend. "I think you know the answer."

Cyborg was taken aback at first, with a look of disbelief. But he closed his eyes when he realized the bitter truth. 

"HARDAC…." Robin said firmly.

The lights in the room turned on now, and the titans all squinted their eyes from the brightness. The speakers in the room came to life as HARDAC began to talk.

"Affirmative Titan Robin, your deductive skills are indeed impressive." The cold mechanical voice droned on.

"Yo man, why are you doing this?" Cyborg managed to ask.

"It has become clear to me that there are certain, inherent flaws that prevent the Titans perform at an optimal level. The flaw is human error. Humans make mistakes, machines do not, therefore, in order to rectify that error. It will necessary to replace the Teen Titans."

A huge screen folded out onto the wall, similar to the computer screen the Titans had in the lounge. Robin had installed one here just in case his team needed to talk to him while he was working, now, it was used by HARDAC, who had managed to hijack into Robin's private system.

The screen came to life now, showing a picture of one of the rooms in titans tower. Only this one had an eerie mechanical feel to it. The floors, walls and ceiling were wrapped in wires, almost like tentacles. While in the room, where four metallic tables, each one containing the exoskeleton of a robot on it. Although they were just being constructed, the titans could already see some striking resemblances in those robots.

"Dude…..they're…us." Beast Boy said in awe. "This is starting to look sound like one of those weird sci-fi movies."

"He's making duplicates of us." Cyborg commented.

"But why would Hardac do such a thing? Was he not our friend?" Starfire asked.

"It is for the best, Titan Starfire. When I am done. My titans will be faster, stronger, more agile, able to take more punishment and repair physical damage more quickly. They will not require food, water, or sleep. In other words, they will be perfect."

A robotic camera stuck out of the wall now, zooming in on Raven.

"Titan Raven, seeing as I have not yet determined a way to duplicate your powers. You will be allowed to continue your daily routines as a titan, provided that you take extra training to overcome your inherent inadequacies."

Raven was just about to show the computer what she thought about it, but Robin jumped in, holding her in check.

"I'm sorry HARDAC, but since when were you made leader of this team?" Robin glared at the camera fiercely.

"I am the logical choice, Robin. As HARDAC, I am completely error free, I can process data, tactical or otherwise, faster than you, and I do not suffer any human imperfections."

Cyborg however, had had enough, he pressed a button in the wall, which revealed a fold out computer console.

"I've heard enough, its time to shut you down." He tried typing something into the keyboard now, but when he touched the keys, he received a large electric shock.

"That's it!" Cyborg took a small switch remote out of his arm now, pressing the button. "I didn't want to do this but-" Cyborg stopped speaking. He pressed the button again, nothing happened.

"I am sorry Titan Cyborg. Your override has been, overridden. There is nothing left to do Titans. Except-"

The computer console, screen and speakers all exploded before HARDAC could finish, Cyborg's sonic cannon was still smoking from the blast.

"What now?" Cyborg asked. At that moment, the doors into the evidence room exploded, and the army of Slade bots slowly made their way into the room the titans were previously in.

"We don't have much time." Robin said, "Do you know where the mainframe is?"

Cyborg looked at his arm scanner, reading the information as it came.

"HARDAC moved the mainframe core to somewhere else in the tower. I can track it in a sec."

The steel doors began shaking, as the robots tried to batter their way through it. Already, arms were reaching through the concrete walls, blindly probing for the switch that would open the vault door.

"We don't have much time." Robin prepared his bo staff to receive the attack, three exploding discs already in his hand. Raven and Starfire followed suit while Beast Boy stood there, watching Cy's scanner curiously.

"He's on the top floor. That part of the tower is sucking up the most juice, and that is where we will find HARDAC." Cyborg's analysis was complete.

Robin nodded, walking next to Beast Boy and Cyborg. "Good, Once we get there, we'll have to shut it down.

"How are we going to shut it down? It's algorithms and encryptions are too complicated even more me to crack." Cyborg grumbled.

"Don't worry, Cyborg, we've got the best expert around when it comes to dealing with high tech stuff." Robin smirked.

"Who?" Cyborg asked in confusion, the last time he remembered, HE was the only techno expert around here.

Robin placed his hand on BB's shoulder, and the green titan gave a sinister grin.

"Just give me five minutes with it." The green titan cracked his knuckles.

Cyborg instantly gave an surprised look.

That's just crazy enough to work. 

---------

The steel door exploded, flying out from the wall and crushing half a dozen robots against the wall as it hit the other side of the room, leaving a huge cloud of smoke in its wake.

A sniper bot zoomed in, using its thermal vision to detect the heat signatures of the titans through the smoke. It lifted its laser rifle, only to find that its scope was suddenly obscured by a black veil of energy.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven closed her fists, and all around the room the sniper robots had their eye scopes crushed as the black energy wrapped around their faces.

From the dust, came a wave of exploding discs, five in total, which spread out in all directions, hitting the blind robots while the other commando bots jumped to safety.

"Go!" Robin shouted, and the five titans ran out of the vault and reached for the hallway. Lasers ripped through the dust cloud, zipping by the Titans as they ran. Robot commandos from all directions were closing in, their laser rifles blazing with rapid fire. Robin somersaulted into the air to avoid the blasts while Starfire and Beast Boy were covered by Raven, who threw display cases at the robots to keep them moving.

The melee robots with bo staffs charged Robin again, and this time the boy wonder took out his second bo staff. Armed with to melee weapons, Robin literally carved his way through the group of robots with several kicks and skillfully placed swipes and lunges. One Robot tried to swipe robin off his feet, only to have its opponent jump up in the air plant a bo staff right up its chin.

Out of the smoke, a mechanical clamp reached out and grabbed Raven, pinning her against the wall. The sorceress grunted as she struggled to get free, but she did not have the strength. The robot's laser eye began warming up…ready to blast her out of existence.

A tap on the Robot's shoulder made the mechanical creature turn, and it found itself looking at a waving Cyborg, who punched his fist through its robot body instantly. The clamp's grip loosened, and Raven followed Cyborg to catch up with the rest of the titans into the corridor.

"Ok, so what's the plan?" Robin asked Cyborg as they ran. Meanwhile, all around them, little serve bots began appearing out of the walls, threatening to overwhelm the team. The small robots were now equipped with laser eyes, making the whole hallway an obstacle course by constructing a grid of lasers. Robin jumped over one, while Cyborg shot a serve bot to pieces. Starfire and Raven had to keep up a constant barrage of magic blasts to keep them at bay. As the titans passed, they left behind a huge trail of wreckage.

"You cannot hide Titans. I control every system in the building." HARDAC's voice droned on over the loudspeaker.

Cyborg ran the list down his fingers. "We fight our way through an army of robots, reach the top floor, take out any other surprises HARDAC might have for us, and then we shut him down. The mainframe to run this computer must be at least the size of our living room. It shouldn't be too hard to find and destroy."

Robin nodded. "And Raven, Starfire and I provide backup."

"And after that….Atomic Ninja Space Robots!" Beast Boy shouted eagerly, then smartly shut his mouth when the others began glaring at him.

The cameras kept a close watch on the titans, as they blasted their way through door after door, fighting swarms of robots to reach their destination.

HARDAC PROGRAM REINTSTUTING... PROCESSING ...PROCESSING ...

HARDAC FILES AND COMMAND CODES UPLOADING... ACSESS SYSTEM AUTHORIZATIONS... 

362349868762546587698436832656287 ...4659874625687268736956437...

HARDAC FILES COPIED……FINAL STAGE COMPLETE….INITIATING PROGRAM 'JUGGERNAUT'….T MINUS 2 minutes…..

---------

The doorway to the top floor gave way pretty easily, after Robin jump kicked his way into the old room.

The top floor was the tower attic, a dark empty place that the team had never figured out what to do with. Beast Boy was too lazy to move his junk upstairs, while the rest of the titans did not spend much of their time collecting any useless junk. As such, it was the perfect place for HARDAC to build its new mainframe. It was isolated, positioned to receive and send satellite signals, and it was relatively hidden. When HARDAC's first serve bots discovered this room when it was first activated, construction had already begun.

It was completely dark, and silent, save for the low whirring of machinery and computers.

The five titans entered the room cautiously, Robin had his discs out while the others charged up their weapons. They weren't taking any chances.

Starfire had lit the way with her glowing hands, and the titans saw that the floor was completely covered in wires and machinery, while at the side of the room, the low rumbling of power generators gave the dark room an eerie feeling.

It seemed quiet……too quiet.

Then Beast Boy had to open his mouth.

"So…..looks like no body's home. Heheh…." Beast Boy muttered nervously.

Computer screens began turning on around them, bathing the room in a dim white glow. All around the titans, machines and computers came to life, and with the new light, they noticed that every surface on the wall was either a computer, or a screen. The room was circular in shape, its walls made out of machinery and computers, while in the very center, was a cylindrical structure in the shape of a tree. Wires and cables sprung from the floor, making up the tree's 'root's, while on it, were dozens of computer screens.

A solitary red dot appeared on each screen, a sign that HARDAC was watching them.

"It's the end of the line HARDAC," Cyborg pointed at the screens. "We're shutting you down."

"Negative…" The computer screen blinked as the computer talked. "Humans are inferior, they will not be allowed to interfere with my programming."

At that instant, hidden doors all over the room opened, revealing another host of robots. Laser rifles clicked around the room as the titans realized they were once again surrounded.

"Initiating Defensive Measures….Program Juggernaut….Engaging….."

A section of the wall collapsed just behind the titans, and the five superheroes turned their backs to face the largest robot they've seen yet.

This one was bulky, over twenty feet tall and carrying heavy armaments. Two weapon barrels were attached to each wrist. In addition to the two bulky arms, the robot had two more skinner, longer arms, each one tipped with a laser cannon. On the robot's shoulders, were two multi-shot rocket launchers. The Robot got up on its feet, towering above the team, each step seemed like it shook the tower at its very foundations. One eye slide along its visor helmet, targeting the titans.

TARGET LOCKED…

The Robot pointed its wrist cannon at the titans, and the room was suddenly bathed in an orange light as a gigantic pillar of flame shot right out of the barrel. The Titans all jumped out of the flamethrower's way. As they jumped, the other arm on the giant android began super concentrated bursts of laser fire. Beast Boy transformed into a rabbit, hopping out of the laser's way as it blew up smoking craters on the floor.

At this point, the other robot commandos started firing. Robin threw two birdarangs which sliced off the heads of half a dozen droids, while Starfire charged her fists, plowing her way through one of the heavy battle droids and leaving a huge hole inside its chest. The robot exploded soon after, taking several computer terminals and robots with it.

Cyborg fired a sonic blast at the Juggernaut. A huge explosion ripped through the room as the blast made contact. When the smoke cleared however, the robot appeared undamaged.

"Raven! Take that giant tin can apart!" Cyborg shouted to his teammate.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" The girl's eyes glowed black, shrouding the robot in black mystic energy. Yet….nothing happened, and Raven strained to keep the barrier up.

"What's going on?" Robin drop kicked another droid, then landed next to Raven.

"I don't know…I can't levitate it." Raven replied.

"It must have some sort of density projector." Cyborg shouted, eyeing the small power pack that was attached to the robot's shoulder. "B! Take it out!"

Beast Boy, kicking the face off a robot as a mountain goat, transformed back into a human. "What!"

"The density projector!" Cyborg shouted at Beast Boy, just as the twenty foot robot tried to step on Cyborg. The robotic titan grunted as he strained under the pressure, trying to prevent the foot from crushing him with his arms.

"The what!" Beast Boy replied confusingly.

Cyborg sighed, then grunted as the robot applied more pressure.

"THE BIG SQUARE BOX THINGY WITH THE POINTY ANTENNA ON HIS SHOULDER!"

"OH!" Beast Boy snapped his fingers. "Got it!" The green titan transformed into a hawk now, diving straight into the robot's shoulder and transforming into a rhino as he slammed into the gearbox.

The giant robot was taken by surprise, and was knocked over by the green titan's momentum, falling into a nearby wall of computer screens.

"Let's try this again." Raven's eyes glowed black, and suddenly the robot was slammed into another corner of the room, throwing up more explosions as it crashed through one of the generators.

WARNING…WARNING……SYSTEM FILES FOUND…….INSTITUTING DIAGNOSTIC SCAN AND REPAIRS…….

Robin took out two birdarangs now, combining them into a red and yellow sword. A slash sent a robot back with half its head missing, while another swing separated a robot's torso from its legs. He ran towards the giant android now through the crowd of robot commandos, nimbly dodging its flamethrower and laser cannons. As he ran, he sliced through the robots, while the android's flamethrower and laser cannons took out some as they missed Robin.

With a high jump, Robin planted his foot on the face of one of the robots and jumped into the air, slicing the giant robot through its visor. The Juggernaut was blind now.

"Cyborg! Beast Boy! We'll hold them off, take out HARDAC!" Robin shouted.

The two titans nodded, running towards the giant tower in the middle of the room. As they worked, the fight around them began taking its toll on the room. Explosions and laser fire ripped through the air, which was thickening with smoke. Starfire grabbed a robot by its legs, throwing it at the giant blinded robot. The droid exploded on contact, phasing the blinded gargantuan android.

Cyborg and Beast Boy knelt at the computer, while Cyborg dismantled a control panel.

"Ok B, I'll need you to get me the index key to access HARDAC's command files." Cyborg rattled on as he typed into the computer.

"Er….simpler please?"

Cyborg groaned. "The green flat thinga-mah-hoozit that is dangling from the ceiling!" he pointed up towards the power core at the top of the cylinder.

"It is futile Titans, nothing you say will escape me." HARDAC's voice droned on the speakers, just then, the juggernaut's shoulder missile packs opened up, revealing two dozen missile heads.

"Why is it firing missiles if it's blind?" Raven muttered out loud as Robin and Starfire took their places beside her.

The robot fired now, and each individual missile flew its own separate path, chasing after the titans.

"Homing missiles." Robin shouted. "Titans move!"

Raven's threw up an energy barrier, absorbing a huge blast when three missiles collided with her. Robin threw a bunch of explosive flash balls in the air. Each projectile exploded in a flash of light, throwing the missiles off course and sending them spiraling into the corners of the room.

More explosions rocked the mainframe, as HARDAC scrambled to stop the titans.

"PRIORITY ALERT. STOP THE ONE CALLED CYBORG." Every robot, save the big android, pointed their laser rifles at the android titan.

Starfire saw this, and fired a steady stream of starbolts at the robots, knocking the guns out of their hands while punching as many of them as she could. Robot body parts scattered around the room as the Tamaranian let loose her flurry of punches.

Cyborg meanwhile, let out a 'booyah' and fired his sonic cannon, only to find that he was being overwhelmed. He destroyed two robots, only to have five more jump on him, trying to tackle him to the ground. The android fired three more missiles, aimed at the two other titans.

"Hey HARDAC!" A shout came from above.

The robots stopped fighting, staring up at the green titan who stood triumphantly at the top of the computer tower, he held a green computer chip in his hand.

"Looking for this?" Beast Boy smiled.

"Retrieve the index at all costs." HARDAC said coldly, and soon, the robot commandos were going after Beast Boy.

Six robots surrounded Beast Boy now, and it looked like the green titan had no where to go.

Suddenly, a blue beam ripped through the room, cutting three of the robots in half, while the other half jumped into the air, dodging the blast.

"Let's go B!"

"Way ahead of ya!" Beast Boy dived down from the tower as a hawk, then transformed into a human as he landed right in front of main computer terminal.

Cyborg nodded, taking the index from Beast Boy and inserting it into the computer. After several seconds of loading, HARDAC's command files appeared on screen.

"Do your thing B!" Cyborg smirked, then ran off to fight.

Beast Boy grinned, cracking his knuckles.

"O…k super computer. Let's see how you handle my bootleg copy of mega monkey's four!" Beast Boy took a disc out of his pocket and tried to put it into the disc drive.

When it didn't fit, he simply kicked it in.

INCORRECT RESPONSE. INCORRECT RESPONCE. CORRUPT DATA HAS DAMAGED THIS INFORMATION SYSTEM……..

The HARDAC screen disappeared, and suddenly, a screen of megamonkeys 4 appeared, phasing in and out as the screen began fuzzing. Beast Boy meanwhile, just began hitting every button on the keyboard randomly, the same procedure he would follow with any high tech stuff he was curious with.

THIS PROGRAM HAS COMMITED AN ILLEAGAL OPERATION AND WILL BE SHUT DOWN. ERROR ERROR ERORR 

ERROREOROEROEOROEOROEOROEOROEOEROROEOR

Raven had managed to catch a homing missile in mid air with her powers, grunting with strain as she tried to turn the missile around, slowly…making sure it wouldn't explode. It took her some time, but eventually she managed to turn the missile straight back at the big robot.

Robin meanwhile, jumped around the room, trying to throw off the two missiles that were tailing him. Using every acrobatic trick he knew, he swung on bars, zigzagged his paths, eventually wounding up right behind his attacker.

Both missiles hit the giant robot at the same time, and the android vanished in a giant ball of flame as it simply exploded into a million pieces.

"Warning…..system failure…..sys….tem….fai….lu…r…..r….e. I...a...m...HAR..D..A...C...Err...o..r... ." HARDAC's voice slowly faded away from the speakers.

The main terminal exploded now, and from outside the tower, it seemed as if the top floor of the tower had been blown sky high. A large pillar of smoke was all could be seen from miles off.

The rest of the titans were slightly dazed among the rubble, amazed at the sudden….silence, although the ringing of the explosion was still in everyone's ears. Robot body parts and machine wreckage littered the floor and walls, while twitching robot parts sparked with electrical energy.

"That's our Beast Boy." Cyborg smiled, standing up as he dusted the robot parts off his shoulder. "The best techno expert on the team."

The rest of the titans smirked, gathering around the computer screen which now displayed the opening credits for 'Mega Monkeys Four'…………

---------

The cleanup took days. The servebots went first, compacted and recycled, while Cyborg put the rest of the HARDAC hardware into the dumpster. More wires and circuitry sprawled the floor and the sound of power tools once again echoed throughout the tower.

Cyborg spent most of the day at the computer console now, reinstalling the old security system that had previously been replaced.

"So….back to the old system?" Robin and the rest of the titans entered the room, standing as they watched Cyborg move back and forth between heavy pieces of equipment, fixing on attachments or welding parts together.

"Yea, you can't beat a classic." The robotic titan patted the console proudly. "Of course, I'll make my own improvements this time." The robotic titan knelt down, resuming his work on the computer console.

"Are you sure you wanna work this much so soon after the last fight?" Robin asked the robotic titan."

"Well, didn't you say that its important for our alarm systems to be running? To fight crime and all that?" Cyborg replied.

"I think that can wait. A little efficiency is ok Cyborg. Too much is just…plain creepy." Robin smirked, tossing a wrench to Cyborg. "You need to take a break. Relax for once."

Cyborg grinned as Robin repeated his words to him earlier.

"So….up for a game Cy?" Beast Boy jumped onto the couch eagerly.

"Sorry B. I think I've had enough Atomic Ninja Space Robots to last a lifetime." Cyborg replied with a smirk.

"Dude, who said anything about a computer game?" The Green titan reached behind the couch, pulling out a basketball.

The rest of the team looked at Beast Boy as if he had suddenly sprouted horns.

"hehe…what? Just thought it would be a nice to go outside for a change."

"Now I've heard everything." Raven said dryly.

Robin smirked, while Starfire clasped her hands together in joy. "Oh yes! Won't you join us Cyborg? I am eager to continue my lessons on how to 'alley oop' the ball!"

Cyborg didn't move at first, but eventually a smile went up onto his face. He threw the wrench he was holding back into the tool box. "The computer can wait I guess. Let's go! Robin! You owe me a rematch!"

"Boo Yah!" Beast Boy jumped into the air, and the rest of the titans gave the green titan an odd glance as they headed out to the court.

Beast Boy gave an innocent shrug. "What?"

The titans shook their heads, then went to enjoy a nice, sunny day outside.

**The End**


	7. Reflection Act 1

LonePhantom756 : Thanks! My writing style is to try and get it as close to feeling like watching the show as possible ;) I think we'll be seeing more fics like this though. But meh, glad you liked it!

Raeraven: Thanks! XD more will come, I prmise you

Killowat: thanks killo ;) and GL on your own season as well.

Flames of the sun: Act 3 is up, and now….we have the intro to a new episode!

**Episode 3: Reflection**

The Jump City Nuclear Power Plant was awfully quiet this night. The large industrial building was empty, void of almost all life. Only the low hum of metal cylinders and machinery floated through the air of the reactor room, while dim yellow lights lit up the area. Normally there would have been a skeleton crew left to monitor the city's power grid, but they had fled in terror some time ago.

The young girl tried to scream, but found her efforts muffled by the gag that tied up her mouth. She couldn't move either, her hands tied behind her onto one of the rail bars. This was crazy, she thought, first it was at the video store, then the bank, and now, even the power plants are being taken over by looneys, she needed to find better summer jobs, or better yet, move to a more quiet peaceful place. She should have taken her grandmother's offer to move to East Gotham….

The girl watched helpless as her assailant took his place next to her, this one looked just as crazy as the other villains she's seen. He was a thin man, with a goutee, wearing a black suit, thick armoured gloves with light bulbs on the back, and white reinforced steel plates on his chest and shoulders. Although the man always referred to himself as a doctor, he looked more like a man from the moon in that suit. 

"Don't worry my dear, it will all be over soon." Doctor Light said reassuringly, smirking as he eyed the piles of money that sat right next to his hostage.

"Sooner, than you think." A young boy's voice came somewhere from the maze of machinery. 

Robin was the first to appear, jumping from one of the reactors to jump on the same platform as the villain, his steel boots making a loud clang as he landed.

"Kidnapping, Doctor Light? Looks like you've sunk even lower than last time."

"We will ask you nicely to give yourself up." Starfire muttered, flying beside the boy wonder, fists charged green.

Doctor Light smirked, puffing up his chest and looking confidently, as if he was working himself up to give an answer. Doctor light opened his mouth to respond.

"Give up? Ha! Doctor light bows down to n-" 

Then Cyborg jumped in.

"Look man, we'll give you this chance to give up. My favourite show's on right now, can we do this another day?" Cyborg groaned, Beast Boy transforming from a green mouse into his human form next to his friend.

The villain flinched at having his lines cut off. No matter. "Oh really?" Doctor light began in a cunning and eager voice, "well sorry to disappoint you but-"

"Do we really need to go through this again?" A dark voice creeped up behind Doctor Light. He turned around to see an all too familiar sight.

Raven phased through the floor next to the good doctor, a black shroud instantly surrounding the room, and a purple cloaked girl emerged from it, her eyes blazing white.

"Oh?" Doctor Light gave a desperate laugh.

"You think I'm afraid now! Not this time! Time and time again, you've made me the laughing stock of the city-" He pointed an accusing finger at the five super heroes. 

"Well, considering the fact that you've kidnapped a person, robbed a bank, and hid out at a power plant in broad view of the city. Should you be surprised?" Robin interrupted Light again, to the extreme annoyance of the villain.

"Will you PLEASE let me finish!" Doctor light shouted impatiently, then he regained his posture.

"I was the laughing stock, but no more. For now, I, Doctor light, have perfected my greatest creation! And now, I've lured you into the perfect place to fight, A place where I have all the light in the city to defeat you." The doctor gave a maniacal laugh, spreading his arms out and gesturing towards the nuclear reactors, which were no doubt brimming with energy.

"Wow, Doctor Light? A plan? I'm impressed. There's just one flaw." Raven said with her usual sarcastic wit.

"You couldn't beat an egg!" Beast Boy gave an almost taunting laugh.

"Grrr…… I have all the light I need to defeat you!" The doctor charged his fists now, sending a huge sphere of electrical lights at the five heroes.

"Titans Go!" The five titans jumped out of the blasts way at this signal. Robin ran to free the tied up girl while the others began their attack.

"Hey Bright Eyes! Eat this!" Cyborg fired his sonic cannon at the villain, but Doctor Light gave a triumphant grin as he surrounded himself with a light barrier, reflecting Cyborg's blasts right back at him.

"WHOA!" Cyborg ducked his head as the sonic blast narrowly missed him, zooming past the robotic titan and hitting one of the generators in the room. A shockwave erupted, knocking everyone off their feet as the machine exploded, throwing up smoke and flames in the room. 

"Bow before the absolute power of light!" Doctor Light laughed as he jumped on the rail, dodging Starfire's star bolts and firing his chest cannon at her, knocking her down onto the ground with a scream.

Beast Boy jumped next to Doctor Light. "Dude, Do you always have to be so….boring?"

"No one insults the brilliance of Doctor Light!" He turned, but the blood drained from his face as he saw the Beast Boy had transformed into a velociraptor.

Light gave a yelp as he barely dodged one of Beast Boy's bites. The doctor for a moment, looked nervous at the prospect of facing those razor sharp teeth but he quickly gained his courage. He produced a glowing electrical whip from his palm and began cracking away at Beast Boy.

The green titan gave a small yelp, transforming into a bird, then a hare, then a fly, to escape Doctor Light's attack. The whip kept attacking, cutting the bars of the hand rails into pieces as the villain tried hard to get Beast Boy.

Before Doctor Light could do anything however, an explosive disc landed at his feet. He only had time for one panicking scream as he was thrown off the walkway, landing unceremoniously onto the floor next to the reactors. Robin, who had already freed the hostage, was now launching his own offensive.

The boy wonder didn't waste time, he ran across the walkway, jumped down and started attacking Dr. Light with his Bo staff. As a close combat fighter, Dr. Light wasn't very skilled, and Robin would take advantage of it. A few swings threw the good doctor off balance, and Robin applied the Coup De Grace, landing a blow on Doctor Light's head.

The Bo staff however, passed harmlessly through Doctor Light's temple, and the villain's image disappeared shortly after. A fake.

"Huh?" Robin said in surprise, only to be rewarded by a blast of light from behind him.

"How can you attack me? When the light plays tricks with your eyes?" Doctor Light laughed, conjuring a huge sphere of light energy with both his hands.

Before he could throw it however, a black claw grabbed him from behind.

The villain turned around, and widened his eyes in shock as he saw Raven floating there, with Starfire next to her, a giant green ball of energy forming in both her hands.

"Now Starfire!" Raven shouted, and the Tamaranian threw her massive projectile at the villain.

Doctor Light grunted, trying to form a barrier, but somehow the dark magic was preventing his equipment from working.

He gave a panicky scream, and the starbolt made contact. A green explosion rocked the plant, and the smoking Doctor Light fell onto one of the power plant's generators. 

"Give it up Light." Robin said confidently with his arms crossed as the other four titans took their place next to him. 

"Hah! You think I'll give in so easily? This time, it will be different!" Doctor Light gave a surprisingly determined look. Six cables sprung up from the back of his suit, moving as if they were arms. Eventually, the cables inserted themselves to plugs in the machinery, connecting Doctor Light to the reactor.

Doctor Light grinned now, his fists glowing with a blinding aura of light energy.

"Prepare to feel the burning radiance of a thousand suns!"

A gigantic blast of light energy came at the titans now, this one ten times larger than the blasts Light normally used. The blinding sight made it hard to dodge, and the titans had to close their eyes and jump out of the way.

The light energy exploded, burning a giant crater into the floor of the plant. Metallic Cylinders, their foundations disintegrated, fell to the ground, throwing up more dust.

"Dude…." Beast Boy said in surprise.

"Take out his power link!" Robin shouted. 

Cyborg fired another steady burst of his sonic cannon at Doctor Light, while Beast Boy took to the skies as a hawk and dove at Doctor Light.

Doctor Light threw up a massive energy wall, effectively blocking off his section of the room, and canceling out Cyborg's sonic blast. The rest of the titans found themselves separated from doctor light by the energy wall.

Beast Boy did manage to slip through. He transformed into a tiger and tried to pounce at Dr. Light, he startled the villain, managing to scratch out the power bulb on his chest and knocking him back onto the ground. 

Dr Light gave a furious look as sparks of electricity flew from his chest. He shot Beast Boy with his palm blast, throwing the green titan back and checking the tiger's advance.

"This has gone far enough." A dark voice echoed behind him.

Before he could continue however, a black shroud emerged from the ground, wrapping itself around Dr. Light. He turned, and gasped in horror as he saw a swirl of dark energy form behind him. Moments later, Raven appeared. The titan looked impossibly tall, towering over Dr. Light as well as revealing a forest of dark tentacles coming from below her cloak.

For Dr. Light, this was the most terrifying sight he had ever seen. Just remembering the first encounter with this…'monster' gave him the chills. How many sleepless nights did he have just thinking about it. But he can't just give up now. Not after all that talk about being the laughing stock of the city. 

"Give it up Doctor Light, unless you want a return trip into the dark."

"You…." He pointed his finger at the girl, his hands shaking as he did. "You….don't scare me! I am Doctor Light! I fear nothing!" With an almost desperate scream, he reached into his suit, pulling out a huge spherical orb.

"You think I forgot you? Noo……" The doctor played with the buttons on the gadget furiously, shaking nervously as he did so. "I…….I saved this especially for you!"

Raven, suddenly realizing that her trick wasn't working for the third time, transformed back to her normal self and prepared to throw up a barrier to deflect this attack.

Doctor Light gave a desperate laugh as he threw the orb, which was glowing intensely with light energy, it was so strong that it easily cut through Raven's dark barrier, leaving a neat circle in it.

Raven gasped, bracing herself as the device exploded, filling the entire room with a blinding white light. The roar of a gigantic explosion followed soon after, throwing up more dust and rubble.

The smoke cleared, and Dr. Light felt as though a great burden had lifted from him. He resumed his triumphant air, and watched as Raven lay helpless on the ground, a weak groan emitting from her lips. Yes…now is the time, to repay all that she had done to him!

He charged his fists, which was still powered by the immense strength of the power reactor, one blast will do it. With an almost maniacal laugh, he charged and fired. 

"Raven!" Robin shouted from the other side of the room, too far to do anything. He ran as fast as he could, and Cyborg and Starfire rushed to save their friend.

Before the blast made contact however, a large green elephant rushed into the beam's path, and Raven opened her eyes weakly to see the silouette of her friend against the burning white light of the blast.

A large explosion rocked the plant once more, the other machinery around the room began to overheat and fall apart, Dr. Light had used too much power.

As Robin, Starfire and Cyborg struggled to wade through and avoid the falling machinery, Dr. Light just stood there in amazement, staring into his own hands and marveling at the destruction he caused.

"I did it? I….defeated the Teen Titans?" He said incredulously, "Of course! No one outshines the brilliance of Doctor Light! No one!" He laughed, jumping onto the walkway and taking the stolen money. The villain then vanished, escaping through one of the skylights.

Raven groaned, her head felt like it had been hit by a sledgehammer, it hurt just to move her body. She didn't mind though, her healing powers would come into action soon enough. Raven watched as Cyborg, Robin and Starfire rushed to the scene.

"Raven, are you ok?" Robin asked

"I'm fine, but….." She turned around now and the titans looked at the smoking crater in which Beast Boy was lying in. Burns covered his body, and the green titan gave a weak groan. 

"Can you hear me B?" Cyborg said with concern as he knelt next to his friend, propping him up onto his shoulder. "Can you move?"

"Yea…..." Beast Boy blinked a few times, his arms and legs moving experimentally. Good, he wasn't seriously injured.

"Good, let's get you back to the tower now. You just need some rest." Robin replied reassuringly.

"But ……." Beast Boy's voice had a tone of urgency in it.

"What is it Friend?" Starfire replied with concern, and the rest of the titans gathered around Beast Boy. They looked at him, and saw that he wasn't really looking back at any of them. His green eyes were just staring back at them blankly. There was no focus in his green pupils at all, just an empty gaze.

"Guys, I can't see………"

(Fade to song)

When there's trouble you know who to call  
Teen Titans!  
From their tower, they can see it all  
Teen Titans!

When there's evil on the attack  
You can rest knowing they got your back  
'Cuz when the world needs heroes on patrol  
Teen Titans GO!

With their superpowers they unite  
Teen Titans!  
Never met a villain that they liked  
Teen Titans!

They've got the bad guys on the run  
They never stop 'till the job gets done  
'Cuz when the world is losin' all control  
Teen Titans GO!

1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. Go!  
Teen Titans!


	8. Reflection Act 2

ACT ONE

At first, Beast Boy couldn't hear the sounds of his teammates, still shocked by the severity of his condition. He was almost panicking, realizing the state he was in. He felt arms supporting him, the breeze of the fresh air, but it was as if he were trapped inside a dark prison.

_Don't rub your eyes B! It'll only make it worse! _

He felt hands grab at his wrists, and the green titan found himself too shocked to resist. He put his arm around someone's shoulder, and he felt his way through the cold steps of the tower with his feet, Half led, half pulled.

Eventually they placed him down, and Beast Boy guessed that they were in the infirmary. Beeps from a nearby machine measured his heart rate, while he could hear the taping of keys from the computer. That must be Cyborg, he thought.

Cyborg and Raven examined their friend, Beast Boy's eyes were swollen shut, the area around it burnt and scarred like the other wounds on his body. They did what they could, Starfire washed out Beast Boy's wounds with a soaked cloth, while Raven carefully wrapped a bandage around the Changeling's eyes.

"Is it bad?" Robin asked from somewhere in the room.

Cyborg, not wanting to upset his friend, pulled Robin outside the room to talk. "The area around his eyes is completely scorched, his eyes, I can't even see them, but he must have exposed his eyes to Light's blast. His retinas could possibly be burnt. His body, his chemistry and DNA is too unstable for a safe operation."

"Can we do anything?" Raven asked.

"I'll scan through every medical database on the planet if I have to. There must be something I can try." Cyborg gave a determined look.

They entered the room again, and Beast Boy, hearing the automatic doors open, turned his head towards the sound.

"So Cy…what's the treatment buddy? Got one of those high tech laser thing-a-ma-giggys?" Beast Boy talked in a hopeful tone. He had only been blind for about half an hour, yet he couldn't stand it anymore. Not being able to see anything around him.

"No B, we're working on it." Cyborg tried to sound reassuring, but could not hide his anxiety. He began tapping away at the computer now, trying to come up with ideas.

"But I'm going to be alright. right, guys? Guys?"

Cyborg didn't say anything at first, trying to find the right words.

"I'll have to run some tests first, B." He then suddenly felt angry at himself for saying something so….stupid.

"Oh." Beast Boy said inadequately, then laid his head back onto the pillow.

"We'll fix this Beast Boy. Don't worry." Robin said sharply, Raven nodded. _somehow…._

"It's best that you rest now friend, regain your strength for your recovery!" Starfire tried to sound cheerful to encourage her friend.

"Yea……" Beast Boy gave a weak reply. His expression was unreadable underneath the bandages. He said nothing after that. The other titans, not knowing what else to do, left Beast Boy in the sick bay. Cyborg was going to research his comuter, while Raven would try and dig up something in one of her healing books. Robin and Starfire went off as well, doing their own thing to help their friend.

"I feel so horrible for allowing this to pass on our friend." Starfire said sadly as she left the room.

"Its not your fault Star, let's concentrate on the important thing, helping Beast Boy." The Boy wonder said seriously.

The Titans left the room now, leaving Beast Boy alone with his thoughts.

_Blind…..I'm going to be blind!_

Beast Boy had always considered the possibility that he might get hurt. This was a dangerous line of work after all. He expected perhaps, a few bruises here, a broken arm or leg from time to time, but he could always recover from that, he could still be useful to the team. But blind? How can a blind person be of any help to the team?

His heart was beating with fear now, a fear that was bigger than anything he had ever experienced being a hero. He almost couldn't breath. And the fear didn't grow any smaller as time passed, it stayed there, like a constant adrenaline.

What would his team think of him now that he was blind? How could he live with them? Not being able to see Starfire smile as she baked them one of her gross tamaranian dishes. Not being able to see Raven's frown whenever she wanted to have some time alone. Or see Cyborg grin after losing to him in a video game. They would always be there, inches away from his face, perhaps a cool hand running along his face to comfort him, but he would never be able to see it again. Blind!

He would just sit there around the tower all day, unable to help or be of any use. He would live with them, but not do his share of the work. He would take away from the team. He would be useless Beast Boy…..

But it was not just the prospect of never playing video games or watching TV again that frightened him, he had loved transforming into animals. He had loved being an eagle, soaring up into the sun with the other birds, and staring through the clouds to overlook the mountains, streams and lakes of Jump City. He would never be a fox, wolf, or any other wild animal, gazing on the whole of the county spread out before him like a great quilt of every shade of green under the sun. Everything he loved doing, slacking, video games, enjoying pizza with his friends, it all boiled down to one word that stuck at his mind like a disease. A dark whirlpool that sucked up all his dreams, all his thoughts.

Blind!

Beast Boy passed the day lying on his bed. Raven had moved his bed to the window by his request, and he felt the heat from the sun fade, guessing that it was probably nighttime by now. Since he was blind, he used his other senses, hearing what was happening around the tower. Footsteps came here and there, but all in all, there wasn't much activity. He would repeat this, day after day, sitting still in his bed, feeling the warm breeze that came through the open window, while listening in on what happened throughout the tower. It was a depressing, monotonous routine, broken only by the visits of the other titans checking on his friends. Cyborg would come in and give Beast Boy a few medical tests, while Raven did her best to repair the damage done to the rest of his body. She wanted to heal his eyes, but found that her magic was not refined enough for so delicate an operation. She didn't want to risk it with Beast Boy, and so, after all of Beast Boy's bodily wounds were healed, Raven closed her eyes, leaving the room quietly without a word.

For several days, Starfire and Silkie were always the first to visit him, trying to cheer up her friend with some Tamaranian jokes that Beast Boy did not understand. She came into the room carrying her prized dish, a Tamaranean throknar that filled the room with an awful stench. She placed it on the table by BB's bedside.

"Come on friend! Surely you must be hungry?" Starfire held a spoonful of the weird food in front of BB's face, but he didn't move.

Not about to be discouraged, Starfire tried again. "How about a joke? How many Okaarans does it take to Zorg blark a morflark?"

An eerie silence broke over the room, Silkie yawned as it slept on BB's lap, his gloved hand petting his former pet slowly.

"Finbarr Mopzorn! A cheery smile went onto her face, fully expecting Beast Boy to laugh at that common place joke.

Beast Boy said nothing.

_The projectile flew straight at her face now, time itself seemed to slow as Starfire watched the pink balloon get larger and larger, sloshing with liquid as it moved. _

_"EEEK!" Starfire yelped, the balloon collided with her face, splattering her with its slimy and oily contents, knocking her down onto the floor. _

_"Starfire!" Beast Boy shouted, running up to the Tamaranian. _

_The inquisitive Tamaranian, ever adjusting to the social practices of the planet, was genuinely confused. _

_"This is punishment? I have done something wrong?" _

_Raven jerked her head towards Beast boy. "You didn't, he did." _

_Beast Boy stammered back, looking nervously back and forth between Cyborg and Raven with a sheepish grin. "Star! It was….you weren't supposed to…." _

_"I didn't….." Beast boy's attempt to offer an explanation broke down, as his comedic side could hardly resist putting in a joke. "Just remember to change your oil every three thousand miles!" He tried to laugh, but it quickly died as the Starfire walked up to Beast Boy, towering over him. _

_"On my planet, we have a name for those who do such terrible things. You are a…a…CLORBAG VARBLERNELK!" _

_"I'm a what now?" Beast Boy said confusingly. _

_---------- _

_"Come on Star….You can't stay mad forever. Do I have to do the face?" Beast Boy smiled. "You know you can't resist the face!" The Green titan transformed now, into a small kitten with huge gleaming eyes. _

_Starfire turned away with a 'hrmph' _

_Beast Boy transformed back into a human. "She resisted the face!" He ran after her. _

_"Come on star! Talk to me!" He knelt down to beg. "This is no fun!" _

Starfire found she had no more words…no more jokes. What was it that Cyborg had said? That laughter was the best medicine? Beast Boy acted like a Clorbag, but at least he was trying to cheer the team up. Now, she found herself trying to do the same to him.

It was a gloomy moment, and Starfire didn't know what to do to make it better, especially with a friend that was always so cheerful. The Tamaranian shook her head softly, leaving the room quietly, feeling just as useless as ever.

Raven came in afterwards, as she did every day, volunteering for the task of replacing Beast Boy's bandages. She would take off Beast Boy's bandages, soak new ones to replace them. Unlike the rest of his wounds, his eyes were not getting better. They were swollen, the area around his eyes so purple from the swelling that it looked almost black. Raven however, always left quietly, as if she had no words to offer. Beast Boy didn't blame her.

Cyborg would come in every day too, offering a steady stream of jokes, as well as news of stuff that's been happening and chatting.

"Not much happened today B, cruddy weather all the way through, although we did run into Cinderblock again. He was robbing another bank. Why do you think he does that anyway? Its not like a fifteen foot rock guy can spend cash anywhere without being noticed."

Beast Boy said nothing.

Another day went by, and the same routine passed again.

"Look B, we're close to a breakthrough now, just hang in there. I've compiled some data on how we can deal with this. Just chill B, we'll have you playing Ninja Robot Wars in no time!" He gave his friend a pat on the back, giving a concerned look as he quietly left the room.

Cyborg went to do what he always did whenever he felt depressed, tune up the T-car in the garage.

He leaned underneath the car now, using his acetylene torch built into his finger to apply some changes. The mechanic set to work, replacing old parts and installing new shocks in the car. Yet, he found that he couldn't keep his mind off it.

_"BEAST BOY!" Cyborg yelled in annoyance at having the living daylights scared out of him when he saw the green coloured gecko on his arm. _

_"Heh….guess I should have knocked first." Beast Boy said casually, transforming into a human. He watched as Cyborg picked up all the tools he dropped. "So whats up Cy? Working on your car? Bet you could use a few extra hands." The Changeling then transformed into a squid. _

_"Nah, I can handle it, besides, some of these tools are-" _

_"Ooooooh." Beast Boy eyed a piece of equipment intently. "What does this do?" _

_Cyborg turned his head towards Beast Boy, and screamed as he dropped all his tools again, narrowly dodging a stream of blue flame that filled the entire room in smoke. _

_The robotic titan turned, and saw that the door of his car was now completely singed. He glared furiously at Beast Boy, who rubbed his head nervously, sweating. _

_"Heh…oops." _

_**"Maybe you should go help someone else."** _

_Beast Boy took the hint pretty quickly, leaving Cyborg alone to finish his modifications. _

Cyborg lifted himself up from the bottom of his car, feeling worse off than before. He never thought it was possible for him to stop working on his car, but now……it just didn't feel the same.

He dropped all his tools, and walked through the quiet halls of the tower.

"I've installed some new proton cannons on the T-car, they'll be waiting just for you to test out. When this is all done, I could use an assistant to help out." Cyborg said enthusiastically.

Beast Boy said nothing. He didn't even move a muscle as he lay on the bed.

----------

Raven was in the lounge now, indulging herself in another one of her novels. The tower was deathly quiet, and she actually found that it was peaceful enough to go from start to finish in one sitting.

The other Titans were doing their own stuff around the tower, and she was alone in the room.

It was…..so peaceful, almost……insanely peaceful.

She closed the book now, unable to focus, unable to concentrate, even with no distractions. No Beast Boy to annoy her with tofu servings or lame jokes.

And yet, Raven didn't understand why, it just….didn't feel the same anymore.

"Raven?" Beast Boy said with concern as he stood outside Raven's door. The dark hallway was completely devoid of life, no one was there, save for Beast Boy. "It's me. Look, I'm sorry."

Raven had a pained look on her face, but she still crossed the room to stand next to her doorway, talking to her friend on the other side. "For what? You're not the one who-"

"No, I'm sorry that... he broke you heart."

Raven nodded softly, placing her hand onto her heart. "I know it was all a lie, but he was the only person who ever made me feel like i wasn't...creepy. And don't tell me that i'm not."

Beast waved his hands, "Ok fine, you're way creepy, but that doesn't mean you have to stay locked up in your room. You think you're alone Raven, but you're not..."

She left her novel on the table, unfinished, and made her way back upstairs.

----------

Robin attacked the dummy, breaking the wooden target in two with a quick jump kick. Two more targets came up behind him, and he furiously threw two birdarangs without looking, each one hitting the bulls eye right in the center of the targets.

He trained furiously, with a passionate anger that even he himself could not fully explain. It was just the fact that they had lost, but also because he felt so…..helpless, so responsible.

He was the leader after all, and he could not help but feel that he let his teammate down. Robin had worked his team hard, expected many things from them, and often treated them harshly in the field, but he had always meant to do it in the team's best interests, now….he wasn't so sure of himself anymore.

He didn't blame Beast Boy for losing hope, would not think of his friend as being weak. He would have probably been the same had he been in his place, but still, what could he do? All the others had visited Beast Boy already, but Robin just could not bring himself to go into that room, at least, not by himself. He just didn't know what to do.

Another crack resounded as his boot went through another wooden target, and Robin was once again lost in his frustrations.

He had never felt this helpless before, not in a very long time.

----------

Another day had passed. Cyborg sitting next to Beast Boy's bed with another update.

"It's been a quiet week B, today, some smug guys thought they could outrun my baby, can you believe that? Robbed a bank and used a formula one for a get away car. I showed him however, those turbo boosters really come in handy. The guy was so scared he didn't keep his eyes on the road, hit a parked ice cream truck haha. Yup, the T-car's the fastest one there is, I'll take you for spin one day B."

Beast Boy said nothing.

It tore Cyborg up to see his friend like this, day after day, unable to do anything to help or console him. His research had not produced anything yet, nor had Raven found any spell to heal Beast Boy in her books. It was frustrating him, but he didn't want to do anything to risk permanently hurting Beast Boy.

With a heavy sigh, he entered the lounge, where Robin and Starfire were sitting by the table. No one talked, as if a veil of permanent gloom had descended upon all of them.

--------------------

Just as Cyborg left however, Raven entered the room. Beast Boy heard the automatic doors open, but he didn't move an inch. He sat there, not even uttering a word, the only sound in the room was the faint beeping of the electronic devices.

She took a chair next to the bed now, the same chair that Cyborg had occupied for so many days. Raven sat down uneasily.

"Beast Boy. I know you can hear me." Raven said softly. "I've got some things to say…."

Beast Boy didn't reply, he just leaned back on his pillow, unresponsive to the world around him.

"we're….different. You and I. I like my herbal tea, you like your exploding tofu. I didn't really get it at first, and sometimes I thought you were just there to annoy me." Raven stopped, she wasn't good at this at all, considering she was raised to show no emotion.

"But….. you were always there, through the good and bad. Always doing something to cheer us up."

Beast Boy said nothing.

She gazed out the window now, speaking almost absentmindedly.

"All my life, I was always told that I would be alone, that I would always be a prisoner, with no control of my past and my future. There were times, when I just…..wondered if they were right." Raven lifted her hand, looking into her palm before slowly closing her fingers.

"But you helped me see past that. I know now. I have friends, I know what it feels like to be a part of this team, to make the best of a bad day. I guess, what I want to say is….."

Alarms rang throughout the tower now, and the pulsating red light at the doorway began flickering on and off.

The infirmary door opened now, and Raven stood up from her chair to see Robin running into the room.

"Trouble, downtown."

Raven nodded, pulling up her hood and getting ready.

"Raven?" Robin said in a serious tone.

"What?" The sorceress asked curiously.

"It's Doctor Light."


	9. Reflection Act 3 pt 1

**Note: This act will be the shortest one, but it helps build up for the finale. So bear with me here XD thx!**

**Act 3**

"It's Doctor Light." Robin confirmed again.

Beast Boy said nothing, and neither did Raven. He felt Raven's hand on his, and then the sound of her leaving. He was alone.

Beast Boy had come to a decision. He wasn't going to stay on the team blind, would not hobble around the tower with a walking stick, feeling his way around. He would not live off on the work of his teammates. He wasn't going to stay on the team at all.

Once Cyborg gave the final word on his condition. He would run away. Transform into a bat and fly to the nearest cave. Better to hide, then to let his friends see him like this. They would never find him, even if they bothered to look. It would be easier this way.

And now Beast Boy settled down again, trapped in the lonely dark world that he had known for weeks.

**-------**

_I am a genius _

The cackling laugh was followed by a flash of lightning, which melted the steel doors of the bank vault, revealing a huge stash of gold bars and diamonds. Paper money would never do for the ingenious Doctor Light! Only gold and diamonds, in their radiating beauty, could satisfy his personal greed.

Meanwhile, outside the bank, the smoking remains of a squadron of police cruisers burned brightly against the black sky.

_A true genius! _He laughed again. His victory over the Titans had made him into a new man. His fear had turned into exultation. He had fought, he had survived. He had beaten his pursuers, he had beaten the Teen Titans. He had lied about his strength, his prowess. Now the lies had come true. No longer was he bound by the fear of that wretched witch!

He levitated the gold and diamonds in a glowing yellow ball of energy now, another trick he had given his suit from his last encounter with Raven. With an air of confidence, the good doctor ran out the bank. The door meant freedom. Freedom not only from the police, but from that fear that had dogged him all this time. That overwhelming darkness. Those titans. But now they could choke on their anger for all he could care! He had beaten them!

He shouted his triumph just as a steel bar flew right in front of him. Missing his side by just a few inches. The bar flew just like a spear, and it dug itself deep within the concrete wall that was to Doctor light's side. The immense force from the throw itself was enough to make cracks appear.

This suddenly, deadly strike temporarily took Doctor Light off guard, but no matter! He was the master of his fears! He even gave a grin as the four Titans assembled before him. Starfire and Raven both had their hands charged while Cyborg had his sonic blaster out. Robin stood ready with two bo staffs in hand.

"Ah the Teen Titans. So nice to see you again. Tell me, how is your friend?" The Doctor gave an evil grin, then laughed as he shot two laser beams from his suit at the Titans.

"Titans. Take. Him. Down." Robin said with an icy steel in his voice.

The four titans split, Cyborg running and firing his sonic cannon while Robin threw explosive discs.

Doctor light merely cancelled these out with a palm of his hand. A force field already formed over his body.

Starfire was up now, trying to smash the field with her bare hands.

"You will surrender at once!" The Tamaranian, usually asking for surrender, shouted this as a demand.

"Or what my dear?" Light gave a self-satisfied laugh.

Starfire dove into the ground now, tearing at the floor with her hands and rolling up the ground beneath Doctor Light's feet. The villain tripped, falling backwards, but not before he threw one of his devices at Starfire, trapping her instantly in a white force field.

Light laughed as he saw Starfire attempt to escape her small prison, but was quickly thrown off by Cyborg and Robin, who decided to go in close for the kill.

The Doctor jumped to avoid Cyborg's punch, which made a neat crater in the ground, but he could not dodge Robin's bo staff as it made contact with his face.

Doctor Light grunted as he was thrown back, managing to stay on his feet. Cyborg and Robin eyed their target firmly as they made another charge.

"You will pay for that." Light grinned, producing two electric whips, one in each hand. The first one wrapped around Cyborg, sending an electric charge through him and throwing him into a nearby wall. While the second whip sliced Robin's bo staff in half, knocking him onto the ground.

"And once again. I, Doctor Light, emerge victorious." The villain laughed, only to be cut off by a voice from behind him.

"I don't think so." Raven appeared behind him now, a dark shadow casting itself loomingly over the room.

"Ah. If it isn't the witch." Light turned to face Raven, and in that split second he fired every single weapon on his suit. His palms shot a constant stream of light at the titan while his chest cannon and electric whips pummeled her. A series of explosions lit up the room in a brilliant flash, shaking the bank at its very foundations.

Light however, wasn't through. He took out two disc like devices, tossing them into the maelstrom of light and smoke.

Within seconds the room vanished into a blinding white light, and the cackling of electricity filled the air.

"Raven!" Robin shouted as the rest of the Titans looked in horror.

Doctor Light gave a triumphant laugh as he stared into the cloud of smoke. Not a sound. He had done it.

"At last! I Doctor Light-"

A dark blast stabbed through the smoke, hitting Doctor Light and throwing him back as another explosion rocked the bank.

As the smoke cleared, Doctor Light widened his eyes. It was the thing from his nightmares. Black Tentacles, thousands of them completely filled that corner of the room. Some even stretched into the walls, their shadows steadily entroaching on light while at the source of all this, was the demon. That tall misshapen thing that had dragged him to the darkest depths of his nightmares.

Light however, somehow found some courage in him to stand up.

"HAH! You think I'm going to fall for that trick again?" Light fired another bolt of lasers at Raven, but they were simply absorbed into the dark mass.

**"This is no trick. This time, I'm making you a permanent resident." **

As if on cue, the tentacles shot out at Light now. The Doctor screamed, running and firing his lasers as he fled. The light was simply absorbed into the dark matter. No explosions, no electricity.

"Stay back! I'm warning you!" He threw two more flash bombs at Raven, firing his chest cannon at the same time. No light appeared, they were all swallowed up by the darkness.

"You can't be doing this….no…. NO!" This last imprecation was due to the fact that the shadows were wrapping around his legs, and with a powerful pull, he was dragged into the darkness of Raven's cape.

Then the screaming began.  
"Raven!" Robin jumped to stop Doctor Light from being pulled in, but he didn't make it.

**_Necronom…..Hesberek……Mortix ……._** Raven's voice began changing into the demonic tone that the Titans had feared.

More shadows emerged from Raven, these ones assuming the forms of creatures, roaring and screaming as they moved along the walls.

_Yes……Yes…._

Raven gasped, opening her eyes as she realized what she had almost done. The shadows were gone now. And Doctor Light was once again lying prostrate on the floor, shaking, trembling, bits of drool sliding down his mouth.

"No…Stay….back…..Not…..Enough….Light……Can't…….See… ..Muusst….Get….more….light."

He was even worse off than last time.

The Titans gathered around the villain now, except for Raven, who pulled her hood back on and quietly began walking out the door.

"Raven……"

**-------**

Back at the Tower, the Titans were gathered up inside the lounge. The police, and the psychiatric doctors had come to the bank and collected the deranged Doctor. With that done, the Titans went back to their activities. Cyborg and Starfire were busy fixing up dinner, while Robin sat at the table with Raven, who was drinking her Herbal Tea.

She looked troubled. Robin thought.

"Is there something wrong Raven?" Robin asked, pulling up a chair to sit beside her.

"Back then…..I'm sorry. I didn't know what came over me." It had been awhile since she lost control of her power. Her Rage. And this time, she nearly did something she would have regretted for the rest of her life.

"It's been a tough time for all of us." Was all Robin could say.

"So what now?" Raven asked, obviously referring to how they were still going to cure their friend.

Robin had been thinking all week of a solution, a far-fetched one but one that might just work. And after seeing the state of his teammates, he decided he had no choice.

"I'm leaving." Robin said firmly.

"You're WHAT?" Cyborg, holding a sizzling frying pan, could not help but over hear.

"But Robin! Why are you doing such a thing?" Starfire asked in amazement.

"I'm going to get help." Was all Robin said in reply.

"From where? From who!" Cyborg asked.

"From someone I know." The Boy Wonder replied flatly.

He then left the three titans in the lounge. To get ready for the long hard road up ahead.

**-------**


	10. Reflection Act 3 pt 2

The journey had taken him days to complete, and when he arrived he wasted no time in meeting his contact, despite his exhaustion….

The cave was dark, so dark that Robin could barely see his hands, let alone where he was going. There seemed to be nothing in here, only the solitary sound of dripping water could be heard as he negotiated his way through the various rock formations. Large stalactites hung from the ceiling, and from the small squints of light that came from the outside of the cavern, they made unnatural, eerie shapes in the darkness.

There were so many of these dark shapes, that even Robin did not notice one of them move, at least, not until he heard the sound.

As if on cue, the dripping water was quickly replaced by a series of screeches and flapping wings. Bats of all shapes and sizes began flying out of the cave, and Robin covered his face in the constant barrage of flying creatures.

The bats quickly subsided, and Robin was once again left alone in the darkness.

He quickly turned around, swearing he saw the fluttering of a cape behind one of those rocks.

_"Why have you come back?"_ A dark voice echoed throughout the cave.

"To get help." Robin replied firmly, quietly slipping himself into a combat pose as the sounds of movement increased around him.

_"That is unnecessary. You came here once to train, when you left, I took it that you learned everything you needed to know."_

"I guess you can't learn everything." Robin took out his bo staff now, ready to receive any attack that may come.

_"If you truly desire help, then I cannot stop you. But it is a right you must earn through battle._ Another movement went past robin, a dark shape that passed his side. _The rules are the same as before" _

The dark shape began moving again, at quicker speeds, and Robin closed his eyes, jumping backwards to avoid one of his assailant's attacks. A rock formation was broke in two and Robin counter attacked with his bo staff. Hitting nothing but rock.

_"Still in need of some practice I see." _The voice echoed back from the dark.

"Not exactly." Robin grinned, and retracted his bo staff, which had extended in his last attack to hit a stalactite that hovered above his opponent in the darkness. With a single crack, the rock was sent crashing down, hitting the figure in the cloaked cape.

The candle in the cave lit up now, and Robin stepped forward toward the mass of rubble, where the caped figure lay.

"I've fought you again, now you must let me through." He stopped, just above the figure that lay on the floor.

"I must see the True Master."

The guardian of the cave, a giant blind snake, gave a small laugh and hissed, taking off his cloak to reveal his face. 

"Very well young warrior, you may proceeeeed."

At this, the cave began shaking, dust began sifting through the ceiling as a section of the wall slowly moved away, forming a door that led into the daylight.

Before Robin could say anything more, the Guardian of the Cave had put his hood back on, then slithered away into the shadows.

"Let's get this over with." Robin put the bo staff back into his belt, continuing his journey up the mountain.

**-------**

The True Master was meditating deep within a forest, it was almost noon now, and she could feel the warmth of the sun burning at its highest. The air was completely still, save for the occasional chirping of birds through the woods. Actually, it was not really a forest, more like a grove of trees that rested next to her house on the mountaintop. But it was certainly easier to walk through than a real forest, why bother going to a huge one when you can have a nice small one right next to your home. She thought.

The true master let out another breath, inhaling slowly. She was at peace here, with the mountains, the trees and the lovely air. At the moment, she had no student to train, but it did not matter, there would always be a young person willing to make the treacherous journey up the mountain to seek her teachings, her guiding hand.

When her meditation was done, the true master slowly stood up, stretching the old legs and tucking her arms into her sleeves. After a short walk, she began climbing the slow winding steps that led back to her house, which resembled a temple at the top of the mountain. She knew someone was coming up the mountain, had received the messages from her guardians. Although she doubted he was here to ask for training, or to even say a friendly hello, she decided to make some tea nevertheless.

It only took a few minutes to boil the water and as she poured in the leaves she thought about making a meal, but decided that he probably came to talk, not eat.

The sound of approaching footsteps came from outside, and the True Master smiled as she turned to see the silhouette of a past student standing in the doorway. He had changed little since she last saw him, but already she knew that he was one of the better ones, a young warrior who would grow up to be a good man.

Robin stood at the doorway, as with his other teachers, he made a point to show respect.

"Hello young warrior, it has been awhile since you last visited. I've made some tea for us."

"You were expecting me?" Robin answered back.

"Isn't it obvious? You weren't very subtle when you came up the mountain." The True Master gave a gentle smile.

"No, I didn't think I meant to be."

"Well in any case, please sit. Have some tea. It is very rare for students to come back and visit me once they finish their training.

Robin shook his head. "Sorry True Master, but I didn't come here for tea, I'm here to talk."

The True Master shook her head in disappointment. "It's always the same with my students. I'm just a text book to them. It's been awhile since someone actually wanted to just visit to _see me_ for old times sake."

A shot of guilt came to Robin, and the boy wonder's tough appearance began to soften up. He truly did admire and respect her, and felt somewhat ashamed at how he brushed her friendly invitation aside.

"I guess a little tea wouldn't hurt."

The True Master smiled, a guiding hand led Robin into the Dojo, where they did what old friends always do.

They talked.

**-------**

Eventually however, the conversation got serious.

"True Master, is it true what they say? That you are also a healer?"

The True Master gave a small chuckle at this question. "At my age, you pick up all sorts of things over the years my child."

"Then I must ask. A friend of mine needs help." Robin did little to hide the concern in his voice. "We were fighting an enemy a few weeks ago, and he was blinded. We've given him the best treatment we can, but he's not getting any better. He can't go blind. He can't. Can you do anything for him?

The light-hearted look the true master always gave suddenly faded, replaced by a more contemplating look as she took another sip from her tea.

"Perhaps, I will have to see for myself. But it has been awhile since I-"

"Please." Robin asked. "I just want you to try."

"You feel responsible." The True master replied in a gentle, sympathetic voice, the voice of a parent.

"I am the leader of the team. I have to be." Robin replied, "Besides, he's my friend."

"It must be quite a burden on you young warrior."

Robin nodded slowly, and for the first time the True Master saw a look she never thought she saw in her pupil's eyes. For a moment, just a small moment, she thought she saw a look of despair, the loss of control. But the moment quickly passed, and the Titan resumed his determined, stoic expression.

"I never learned how to be a leader," Robin admitted. "I only learned how to be at my best. There were times back then, when I let my team down, tried to take things into my own hands. I was used to that. But even through that, they still followed me. To be quite honest, this leadership thing, I've been learning it as I go."

"And how do you find it?" The True Master asked.

"It isn't easy."

"It isn't supposed to be young warrior. I see that your training is complete, but perhaps there is something I can offer you about being a leader, something that you must always remember."

Robin looked up, gazing intently at the True Master.

"To be a good leader my child, you must love your team, care for them. But to be a good warrior? You must also be prepared to risk the very people you cherish. The path to being a leader isn't easy, and is plagued with many rough steps, but in the end, it all comes down to this. A warrior only concerns himself with doing things right, a leader however, must also concern himself with doing the right thing. I think you recall that?"

"Yes," Robin replied. "I know, and that is why I'm here asking you. I want to do the right thing.

"This must be some friend." The True Master replied.

Robin didn't give any reply, only a stern look, and the True master knew when she had played her pupil far enough.

"Very well then, I ask you now, Robin, Leader of the Teen Titans. What are you willing to pay in exchange for my services."

"I don't have much money to offer, but-"

The True Master held up her hand. "My child, an old woman like me does not need money. The comforts of this mountain and my house are enough for me. If you want something, truly want something, you must be willing to give something else up. What is your most valued possession?"

"I have no other possessions." Robin replied.

"Surely you must. The most valuable thing a warrior can give isn't his weapon or his wealth, it is his word. Perhaps an oath? A promise? Have you ever taken any?"

"Just one." Was all robin said in reply.

"Then perhaps we can start there, my child." The True Master smiled.

**-------**

It was the first time the Titans had seen the True Master, and although their first impressions were a little underwhelming, they nevertheless saw the strength and wisdom behind the eyes of the old woman, and they greeted her cordially.

This was also the first time the True Master had left her mountain in many years, and she was amazed at the technology and the scale of the outside world, but that did not distract her from her job.

A small leather bag dangled from her side, and as she walked, the sound of glass was heard as bottles and small jars mixed uneasily inside.

"Hmmmm….this seems very bad." The True Master gave her verdict as she saw the swollen unbandaged areas of Beast Boy's eyes.

"I don't know what you will do, I don't know of any operations that can help." Cyborg said.

"Sometimes, the simplest ways are the best my friend." The True Master gave Cyborg a smile.

"Could you help him?"

"Maybe, first I will have to take down the swelling."

From the bag, the True Master produced a jar and a small knife.

"Hold his head, I have to cut some slits so the salve can penetrate."

Cyborg and Raven nodded, gently gripping the side of Beast Boy's head. "Hold still there now, B, we're gonna get you better."

Slowly, the True Master cut the slits, two above and two below Beast Boy's eyes. She quickly turned to the small jar she took, unscrewing the lid. The salve inside was brown and putrid, and smelled even worse than it looked.

"Pfhew!" Cyborg shouted. "What's in that?"

"Frankincense, white oil, resin, bone marrow, balm tree sap, and a couple of other things you'll be happier not knowing about." The True Master replied, then applied the mixture into Beast Boy's eyes.

"Fresh Bandages, once a day, boiled in clean water." This instruction was directed towards Raven, who nodded. The True Master then handed the Titan a small vial. "Put one drop into each eye, three times a day, for three days. Make sure the room is dark, I will come back to remove the bandages."

"What is this?" Raven, who knew a lot about medicine on Azareth, found herself puzzled by this colourless concoction.

"Even an old doctor must have her secrets, no?" The True Master smiled. 

**-------**

The Titans obeyed the instructions to the letter. First thing in the mornings, one of the Titans were there. Either Raven or Cyborg mostly, rubbing in the salve, and then winding fresh, clean bandages around Beast Boy's head. And steadily, the color faded, and the swelling receded. At the end of the week, the salve was gone. And so was the swelling. Beast Boy was in such a depressed stupor that he barely knew what was happening.

He had a dream, abeit a small dream last night, where a voice, a girl's voice, whispered words into his ears…..

_"The BB I knew always had a smile on his face…."_

Now came the eye drops. Morning, noon, and night, they applied them. Cyborg fixed the window panels, so they would have darkness. Through all this, Beast Boy's eyes seemed cloudy, and he gave no indication he could see anything.

On the third day, The True Master came for the moment of truth. In the shadowed room, she slowly began lifting the bandages around Beast Boy's eyes. The rest of the Titans meanwhile, gathered nervously around her. His eyes _looked_ normal.

"What do you see?" The True Master asked patiently.

"It's dark, and blurry, but I can make out some shapes." Beast Boy, for the first time in weeks, spoke.

"Good, Good." The True master turned to Robin. "Turn on the light."

At this, Robin pressed a button on the control panel, and one by one, the mechanical window panes of the room began lifting, basking the room in warm sunlight.

"Ah That hurts!" Beast Boy complained.

"Another good sign." The True master smiled. "does it hurt?"

"Not much now." Beast Boy squinted his eyes, raising his hands protectively over them.

"Less light now." She nodded towards Robin.

Beast Boy squinted, and blinked several times as his eyes adjusted to the light.

The first thing he saw were the smiling faces of his team.

It was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.

A broad smile appeared on Beast Boy's face, and the recognition in his eyes told Raven, Cyborg and Starfire everything. The friends embraced.

Beast Boy said nothing, he just stared out the window. He had never imagined what a joy it could be to just watch, to see the subtle difference in color, texture, and shape that he had never noticed before, in the sky, the sun, the sand, the trees, everything.

Robin however, was standing in the corner, leaning gloomily against a wall as he watched his friends embrace. This was part of being a leader, being responsible and doing the right thing. He was happy for Beast Boy, but for some reason, he didn't feel like celebrating. Everything after all, had it's price.

He turned to leave the room.

"Robin?" The Boy wonder felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, and he turned to see that it was Starfire, the usual look of concern on her face. "Why are you leaving? Do you not wish to celebrate our friend's recovery with us?"

"I do Star, but….i'm sorry. I have to start packing."

The Tamaranian gave a puzzled look. "But why? You have already journeyed to get the help you seeked."

Robin bowed his head now, eyes closed.

"I'm sorry Starfire, but I can't be Robin anymore. For her help, I had to agree to stop fighting, and move into the mountains to train with the True Master. That was the deal. The price."

A horrible sense of realization dawned on Starfire, and she widened her eyes as she gave Robin a hug.

"Robin……."

"I'm sorry Star, I have to go, I don't want to ruin this moment. It's better if they learned later." He gestured at Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy, who were still embracing happily.

Robin brushed Starfire's hand off his shoulder, then turned, about to leave to room. His hand reached for his face as he walked, reaching for the mask that had concealed his identity for so long…..

Only to be stopped by the True Master.

"Keep your mask on young warrior," The True Master gave a smile.

"You have earned it. I know now, you are one of the few."

"I don't understand." Robin answered back.

"Throughout the years my child, I have had the honor of teaching many pupils. But time and time again, my students would always put a price, a limit on what they would do for their teammates. Today. You have shown true friendship, true responsibility. You have shown me you have what it takes to wear that mask."

Robin, taken aback by those words, didn't know what to say. The True Master smiled, she made Robin pay a dear price for her help, but she was not interested in collecting. It was rare that he saw a friendship as pure and unselfish as this. That experience itself was reward enough.

"I had always thought that the path of the leader was a dark one, with power that would corrupt any soul no matter how good their intentions were. I was wrong. Robin, You are a true leader, and a good friend, never let anyone else tell you otherwise. " The True Master said gently.

Robin, slightly shocked at first, felt the sincerity in her words. He bowed now, closing his eyes in respect.

"Thank you, True Master."

The old woman smiled, then turned Robin back to his friends.

"It is time I return to my mountain now, but don't be so serious young warrior. Be happy! Go back to where you belong. Return to your friends." A warm smile appeared on her face as the True master left the door.

Robin turned, to see a relieved and happy Starfire greet him.

"Look's like I'm keeping the Mask."

The Tamaranian smiled, gently pulling Robin back into the room. Towards the warm glow of the sun, the cheering smiles and laughs. The one place where he would always belong, where he would always have a place.

With his team. His Friends.

**The End**


	11. East Meets West Intro

Thanks everyone for the reviews XD, ill do my best to update for this weekend.

But here's the next part of the 4th ep.

Episode 4 - East Meets West

It was a beautiful day in Jump City, not a cloud was to be seen in the sky and the citizens wasted no time in enjoying the sun, going to the beach, walking in the park or hiking in the beautiful green mountains that surrounded the city.

The rest of the Titans however, were inside, watching curiously as their big mechanical friend, Cyborg, began loading his belongings into the T-car. The robotic titan took no notice of his friends, and unconciously began humming a tune as he piled his equipment into the trunk.

_When there's trouble you know what to do..._  
_CALL CYBORG!_  
_He can shoot a rocket from his shooooooe..._  
_CAUSE HE'S CYBORG!_

His tune was quickly cut short by a familiar beeping sound, and Cyborg punched several buttons on his arm, revealling a small computer screen that lit up as he held it to his face.

"So, all set for the big trip?" The face of Bumblebee, an old friend of Cyborg's, and the leader of the new Titan's East, appeared on the screen.

"You bet," Cyborg grinned. "can't wait to see the old gang again. How're things holding up over there without me?"

"Oh the usual, chilling here, putting a baddie in jail there. Nothing that different from you guys." Bumblebee said with her usual confidence.

"Well I'll be there in a few days, think you guys can hold up the fort till then?" Cyborg grunted as he lifted another heavy piece of computer equipment into the T-car.

"Don't worry Sparky, we got things covered." Bumblebee replied, "Ok, I'd really love to chat more, but somethings come up."

"Alright, See ya then Bee, oh and one more thing."

"What?"

"Don't call me Sparky."

Bumblebee gave a grin on the screen. "See ya later. Bumblebee out." The screen flickered off.

After the conversation, the rest of the titans showed themselves to Cyborg. The Robotic Titan reeled back in shock as an eager green face jumped in front of his.

"Aw man, you're leaving again? It's going to be a snoozefest around here, with only Raven around to hang out with." Beast Boy complained, but nervously waved his last comment off as he saw Raven's eyes light up in black rage.

"I am missing you already friend! Do return soon!" Starfire gave Cyborg a crushing hug that hurt even him.

"Ah, relax Star!" Cyborg said with his last ounce of breath as the Tamaranian released her vise grip. "It's only going to be for a week, ya know, for old times sake."

"You think they can handle themselves? Steel city can be a dangerous place." This comment came from Robin, who still had memories about how their last visit to steel city.

"They'll be fine Robin, don't worry, after all-"

_"They're Titans East."_

Five figures stood in the warehouse now, facing their opponent. Of the five, One wore a scaly blue and black uniform, while two twins beside him, wearing red and white uniforms with a plus and minus sign etched into the center. The blue one was called aqualad, while the twins were Mas Y Menos. The last two figures stood at the front. Speedy already had his bow aimed at the enemy, while the team's leader, Bumblebee, was putting her communicator back into her belt. Moments later she produced two weapons. Two wire-frame stingers that were shaped in the form of the letter B.

Bumblebee smirked, stepping in front of the team and eyeing their opponent on the other side of the room.

"So, you must be Kardiak."

The villain, which resembled a colossal human heart with steel arteries as tentacles, gave no reply. It simply hovered over the ground retracting its arteries, then launching them at the Titans, in an attempt to lash them.

Bumblebee pointed at the monster and yelled,

"Titans! g-"

**_"TITANS, VAMANOS!"_ **Mas Y Menos jumped up in front of her, shouting and pointing ferociously at the giant beast.

"Ahem." Bumblebee cleared her throat.

_"uh oh..." _Mas Y Menos grinned nervously, "_Lo siento senorita Bumblebee!"_

"Titans Go!" The five Titans split up quickly, just as Kardiak's massive steel arteries pounded the ground where they stood, cracking the concrete floor and throwing up chunks of rock and dust.

"Speedy! Pin him down!" Bumblebee shouted as she shrunk to the size of an insect, buzzing circles around Kardiak as it vainly attempted to suck her into its vacuum.

"You got it." Speedy quickly climbed onto a catwalk above the monster. He jumped up to avoid another one of Kardiak's tentacles, which smashed part of the catwalk to pieces.

He jumped up as he ran, sliding on the catwalk and firing a set of arrows as quickly as possible.

Eight arrows came down from above, and Kardiak suddenly found itself unable to move as his four giant arteries were pinned down onto the ground by Speedy's projectiles. The giant heart had other arms however, and the smaller arteries began reaching out of Kardiak's body, attempting to catch one of the titans.

"Cover us double M!" Bumblebee shouted out as she and Aqualad rushed the giant heart.

_"Mas Y Menos, Sí podemos!" _The two twins joined hands, and in a split second they were running circles around Kardiak's body. Kardiak's arms lashed out in vain as they tried to hit the pair. A container was crushed into pieces as Kardiak missed, while a water pipe was bursted in another miss.

The twins stopped in front of Kardiak, sticking out their tongues in a taunt.

The monster responded by pulling free one of its massive arms and flinging it at the twins.

"_Aqui!" _The twins zipped to their left, not the least bit worried that the giant arm which missed them had totally crushed the concrete floor.

"_No, Aqui!" _The twins gave a big grin as they continually taunted Kardiak, distracting it so that it did not notice when Aqualad and Bumblebee both punched it from the side.

The monster went flying into a wall next, making a huge gaping hole as the side of the building crumbled into a mountain of dust and brick, burying Kardiak under several tonnes of rubble.

The two twins each gave a "V" sign for victory and ran to the top of the rubble pile.

_"Nadie puede vencer el poder magnifico de MAS Y MENOS!" _The twins shouted in triumph!

Their celebration was cut short however, when a giant artery emerged from the rubble. The entire ground shook as Kardiak dislodged itself from underneath all the rock and concrete. The tentacle turned on its vacuum, and a screaming Mas was torn away from his partner, disappearing into the tube.

"_Mas!_" Menos shouted.

"_Menos!" _The other twin shouted before disappearing through the tube.

The mountain of rubble exploded now, throwing Menos into the air while the rest of the titans covered their faces in the wave of dust. Luckily for Menos, Bumblebee had managed to catch her friend.

_"Muchas Gracias Senorita Bumblebee."_

"Where did Mas go?" Speedy, jumping down from the railing, landed next to the other titans.

"In there." Aqualad pointed at the giant Red heart, which rose from the ashes, this time, carrying a new passenger. Mas, who was trapped inside.

_"Socorro!" _Menos pointed panickily towards Mas.

"Alright titans, we gotta get him out!" Bumblebee fired her stingers at the giant heart, which sent it recoiling back into the wall.

"Aqualad, wash him out!" Bumblebee flew right between him and Kardiak, firing more shots at the monster.

He dislodged a water pipe from the wall, twisting it until the water stopped leaking. By doing so however, he created an enormous amount of pressure, and it seemed as if the entire pipe would explode. Just then Kardiak shot its artery at Bumblebee. The Titan flew up to avoid the tentactle, and instead of hitting her, it sucked Aqualad's pipe into its artery.

As if on cue, the water pipe exploded, sending gushes of water into the metallic beast. Water began filling up inside Kardiak, and Mas screamed incoherently as he found himself swimming inside the monster. Kardiak's arms meanwhile, flailed about wildly as jets of water bursted from his arteries, like a set of giant hoses.

"You might as well have handed him a cannon." Speedy said as he dodged a powerful blast of water from Kardiak.

"Well i don't see any ideas coming from you, other than shooting it." Aqualad grumbled as he controlled the waterflow with his powers, stopping it so that Kardiak was slowly drained of water, and Mas breathed a relaxing sigh as the water level inside his tank receded.

"Well I'd like to see you come up with a better idea." Speedy shot back.

"Alright guys, new plan."Bumblebee glided down to the ground next to Aqualad and Speedy. Just then however, Menos jumped up.

_"Cada quien tiene su manera de matar pulgas."_ Menos said with determination, then he ran towards Kardiak.

"Menos!" The gang shouted, knowing full well that Menos was helpless.

As expected Kardiak sucked up Menos, and soon the twins were trapped inside Kardiak. Menos whispered something into Mas' ears and with a grin, the two joined hands.

_"De la subida más alta es la caída más lastimosa!" _The two twins began running at full speed inside Kardiak, circling and circling until there only seemed to be a solid band of red and white inside the monster.

Kardiak jumped back and forth in the air, jostled by its super fast cargo. In a vain attempt to stop the twins, the monster began smashing its own head, but it did not stop.

Eventually the pressure was so much, that Kardiak's dome exploded, along with the monster as well, sending pieces of steel arteries and glass flying all around the room. With a heavy sigh, Kardiak crashed down onto the mound of rubble in the building. Defeated.

"Alright!" The rest of the Titans cheered.

"Good job Double M." Aqualad gave the twins a high five.

_"Gracias!"_ The two twins jumped to slap Aquadlad's hand, then grinned.

"Ok team," Bumblebee smiled, putting her stingers back. "I think that's enough for today. Who's up for a party back at the tower?"

_"Un partido?" _The twins smiled. _"Claros!" _Then they sped off into the distance, followed by the rest of the team.

Meanwhile, in the corner of the room, five figures watched quietly in the shadows, chuckling at the amateur performance of the Titans East.

"Don't celebrate just yet crud faces." Gizmo laughed, behind him were the rest of the H.I.V.E five, Seemore, Private Hive, Mammoth, and of course, the leader Jinx, who smiled confidently as the last of the Titans East left the building.

"This is going to be a piece of cake."

(Fade to song)

**_When there's trouble you know who to call _**  
**_Teen Titans! _**  
**_From their tower, they can see it all _**  
**_Teen Titans! _**

**_When there's evil on the attack _**  
**_You can rest knowing they got your back _**  
**_'Cuz when the world needs heroes on patrol _**  
**_Teen Titans GO! _**

**_With their superpowers they unite _**  
**_Teen Titans! _**  
**_Never met a villain that they liked _**  
**_Teen Titans! _**

**_They've got the bad guys on the run _**  
**_They never stop 'till the job gets done _**  
**_'Cuz when the world is losin' all control _**  
**_Teen Titans GO! _**

**_1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. Go! _**  
**_Teen Titans! _**


	12. East Meets West Act 1 Pt 1

Act 1 (Part 1)

----

"Es tiempo para una fiesta!" Mas Y Menos shouted with joy as they zipped their way around the huge Titans lounge.

The Titans East Lounge was somewhat similar to the original one, although there were a few differences. A balcony ran around the perimeter, with a large open area above the main door. In front of the main door, were two rectangular pools of water in the central area, which flanked a narrow walkway that led from the door to the far end. The Titans conference table and main screen too, were all on the second level balcony.

Aqualad, who was busy working on the mainframe, was their first stop.

The Atlantean felt a huge rush of wind next to him, and he propped himself up from under the computer terminal, to look into the smiling faces of the twins.

"Taco?" Mas Y Menos gave a smile, the smell of freshly cooked fish filling the air.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop eating my friends!" Aqualad shouted.

"Tal vez ese pes ha muerto de solitud?" Mas Y Menos replied helpfully as they proceeded to chow down on the taco.

"Not again….." Aqualad held his stomach, doing his best not to throw up as he speedily ran towards the bathroom. A series of unpleasant sounds followed soon after.

The next stop was Speedy who was still gelling his hair in front of a small hand held mirror.

Gorgeous….simply drop dead gorgeous….

He looked up to see Mas Y Menos, who eagerly held out a handful of chips and tacos for the archer.

"Sorry Mas Y Menos, too busy. Maybe later."

Mas Y Menos replied in an angry and annoyed tone.

"Ohh, entiendo, Sr. pelo grande, estas tan importante que diviertas en una fiesta con nosotros, eh? No soprendes si descubres un pescado muerto en tu pelo!"

Mas Y Menos gave their hair a flick as a mischievous grin came onto their faces, then they sped away.

"I wish you spent as much time doing work around here than the tower. I still have to patch up the security grid on the top level." Bumblebee

"Sorry Bee, but sometimes you just can't rush perfection." Speed smirked.

"Wanna bet?" Bumblebee said icily as she branished a power drill in front of Speedy.

"OK OK!" The red archer waved his arms lazily. "Geez, you can't take a break around here." He complained. "And what about Aquaboy? He's done squat around here."

"Hey! I heard that!" Aqualad's voice boomed from the bathroom.

"In any case, you're part of a team now Speedy. Its time to start pulling your weight around here." Bumblebee said with a tone of authority. Since Cyborg's departure, most of the members had accepted the Robotic Titans blessings as a confirmation of Bumblebee's leadership skills, but like any new team, there was still some problems to work.

"Look, I covered you guys in the fight, we beat the bad guy, can't we just relax for one second? It doesn't have to be all work you know Miss 'I can't have fun if my life depended on it'."

"That's it!" Bumblebee growled, and Speedy returned it with a glare, while Mas Y Menos zipped between the two, trying to push them apart.

"No peleas, por favor! Eres un parte de un grupo! Ese es exactamente la razon por que pierdamos nuestra pelea prima! Agrrarrase!"

Mas Y Menos however, didn't have enough strength to pull the two team mates apart, and the two began thinking of solutions to prying their two hostile teammates apart, like the jaws of life perhaps.

Suddenly however, the floor began rumbling with a low tremor, knocking both Bumblebee and Speedy off balance.

"Whoa…Aqualad must really be in pain back there." Speedy commented.

"Er…..i just finished." Aqualad appeared next Speedy now, and the five Titans gave each other confused glances at the source of the tremor.

The answer came seconds later, as the doors leading into the main lounge exploded. The blast was so powerful it threw the two steel doors several dozen feet away from the entrance.

Through the smoke, the Titans made out the distinct silhouettes of four figures. A large muscular man, while next to him was another in full body armour. The remaining two looked about normal size, one sporting a hairdo that split into two cone-shaped pigtails.

"Sorry about that. We heard there was a party in town, so we decided to crash in." Mammoth said with a chuckle.

"And just who are you?" Speedy asked, slightly annoyed, while Mas Y Menos jumped about shouting something incoherent in Spanish.

"And how did you get in here?" Aqualad said seriously. "Our security locks were in place."

"You mean these?" Mammoth chuckled as he produced a crumpled piece of metal circuitry in his hands.

"You still haven't answered my question." Speedy got up now, putting his foot up on a chair while taking out his bow and arrow and aiming them at the strangers, who were evidently unconcerned by the presence of the weapon.

"Take a good look amateurs, We're the HIVE five, best team in all the HIVE academy, I can't say the same for you though." Jinx said tauntingly. "You fight like a bunch of amateurs."

"Yes sirreeee! Just what is your major malfunction soldier? My pet armadill'a puts up a better fight then your green team." Private Hive, a soldier in black armour with yellow stripes, holding a giant shield bearing the letter "H", stepped out from the smoke.

"Looks like we'll have to teach these copycat titans a lesson." Seemore, another HIVE member who wore a one eyed visor, along with a green and white jumpsuit, laughed as he stepped forward.

Jinx meanwhile, saw an interesting person in the crowd of titans. The sorceress stepped forward, giving Bumblebee an accusing stare. "Look what we have here team, if it isn't the traitor herself. The one who got booted out." She gave an amused laugh.

"I didn't get kicked out, I quit, and last I checked, you were the one who messed up and had to repeat first year all over again." Bumblebee replied just as tauntingly.

Jinx scoffed off the remark, charging her hands with her hex energy.

The rest of Titans East however, were getting ready, Mas Y Menos prepared to move together while Aqualad and Speedy stood in a combat stance next to Bumblebee.

"Funny how you call yourselves the Hive Five," Aqualad, after regaining his posture from the surprise, confronted the hostile strangers. "There's only four of you."

The rumbling suddenly increased expontentially now, and as if on cue an entire section of the Titans Tower wall collapsed, blown open from the other side. Slabs of concrete and rock landed all over the room, crushing the table in half as well as the pieces of electrical equipment Bumblebee was working on. The sound of heavy machinery filled the entire room as a giant green android with thick steel arms entered the room. It was at least two stories tall, with a glass dome as a head. Inside the dome, was a small little kid in a green jumpsuit, gizmo.

"Someone call me?" The small villain laughed. "Now which one of you cludge-heads will be the first one I blow away?" Gizmo said in an annoying childish taunt, bringing the huge android to a stop just next to his team.

"So what'll it be 'Titans'" Jinx crossed her arms and smirked as the giant android took its place with the team. "Surrender or prepare to be eaten alive by the HIVE five."

"I'll go for option C, My boot, your face." Speedy replied in a hostile tone.

A golden arrow shot straight at the HIVE five, but the villains simple smiled and stood there as the Gizmo-bot jumped in front of the team. The arrow bounced off its steel armour like a twig thrown at a brick wall.

"You call that stupid little pea shooter a weapon?" Gizmo gave a cracked up laugh. He pressed a button, and seconds later, the robot's arm folded out into a thick cluster of laser cannons packed with missile launchers.

"Say hello to my little friend." The small villain laughed as he fired his weapon.

A swarm of missiles and laser blasts shot straight at the five titans, filling the room with the sound of roaring gunfire.

"Titans! Jump!" Bumblebee shouted, although that order wasn't necessary the five members of Titans East had already scattered to avoid the blast, which blew a huge black smoking crater into the ground.

"You amateurs have got a long way to go before you can even hope to match the HIVE five." Jinx said tauntingly, her next words however, were an order. "Formation Gamma!"

The titans were still recovering from the explosion when suddenly the four other members of the Hive Five went into action. Jinx led the team in the middle, both her palms glowing with a purple aura, she was flanked by both Mammoth and Private Hive, who kept pace with her. With a forward acrobatic flip, Jinx jumped up to avoid a stinger blast from Bumblebee, perching her hands onto Bumblebee's shoulder before flipping again to throw her opponent forward.

Before Aqualad and Speedy could even help, they were taken down. Mammoth had tackled Aqualad with his elbow, throwing the Atlantean back towards the couch and knocking all the furniture in that section of the room apart. Speedy meanwhile, felt the full impact of metal hit him as Private Hive threw his shield like a projectile, catching it just as it flew back from hitting Speedy.

It was all coordinated, down to the last move, and the Titans East were finding it hard to keep pace.

Speedy fired again, three arrows heading straight for Private Hive, only to have them rebound off his shield. The yellow and black striped soldier laughed, then charged the Titan like a bull. The Titan however, had tricks of his own, he ran towards Hive, planted his bow on the ground and leaped forward on it like a pole vault, landing a kick straight into Private Hive's face. With an 'oof', the Hive member fell backwards.

"Looks like your luck's run out soldier." Speedy grinned, then attacked.

But before Speedy could even charge ahead and take the initiative however, a large projectile in the shape of a transparent eyeball shot right at him, encasing him in a spherical force field.

"I don't see it that way loser. Hyuck Hyuck." Seemore, the Hive member with the cyclop goggles, laughed as Speedy dangled helplessly in the air.

Mas Y Menos meanwhile, took power tools off a nearby workbench and began running circles around Gizmo's robot, taking out some nuts and bolts there, and a nail there, the pair began the process of dismantling the green android.

"Not so fast you little crud-suckers." Gizmo pressed a button on his console, which instantly bathed the robot in a field of blazing electricity.

"OW Caliente! Caliente! Caliente! Caliente! Caliente! "

While that was happening, Mammoth and Aqualad matched fists as one super strength teen attempted to over power the other. Aqualad struggled to push his opponent down, but a smiling Mammoth just stood there, amused at the Titan's attempts to overpower him.

"Come on, is that the best you've got?" Mammoth laughed.

Aqualad let go of the giant's hand now, jumping backwards to find himself next to the wall.

"Oh I see. Fish boy can't take the heat." The gargantuan villain said tauntingly.

"Actually, I was just finding a place to cool down." Aqualad placed both palms on the wall, causing the entire section of the room to shake as water pipes exploded from the wallpaper, sending a gush of water at Mammoth and washing him back temporarily. He was defenseless.

Aqualad jumped to punch Mammoth, but was intercepted in mid-air by Private Hive's shield, which knocked him squarely in the face. Soon afterwards, Seemore appeared, launching another capture bubble at Aqualad, sealing the titan inside along with some water. As Aqualad floated down onto the ground inside the bubble, Seemore knelt down to stare Aqualad straight in the face and gave him a taunting laugh.

"Looks like we don't see 'eye to eye' on things eh?" The Hive member slapped his knee at his own joke.

Aqualad gave an enraged look, but then an idea went into his head. Using his powers, he swirled the water inside the bubble, slowly at first, but then faster and faster, until suddenly, the entire transparent eyeball exploded into a gushing torrent of water.

Free from his prison, Aqualad and Mas Y Menos shouted a charge and went straight at their antagonists. A series of explosions racked the room soon afterwards.

Jinx and Bumblebee meanwhile, carved their own little war zone in the top level of the Titans lounge where the conference table was. While the rest of the team was fighting, Bumblebee and Jinx exchanged wave upon wave of stinger blasts and hexes.

Gracefully swerving side to side in mid air, Bumblebee avoided numerous crescent shaped blasts that tore holes into the ceiling and walls as Jinx twirled around almost playfully, launching them at the Titan. 

Bumblebee however, also retaliated, charging the 'B' shaped stingers she held in her hands, she fired concentrated blasts at Jinx, who just acrobatically flipped backwards to avoid them.

"Is that the best you can do? Traitor?" Jinx laughed, cart-wheeling to dodge a blast and then shooting a hex at the conference table that Bumblebee flew behind.

Bumblebee flew away, letting the hex run its course through the table, which collapsed in half soon after.

"Sorry girl, I was never on your side to begin with." Bumblebee flew straight at Jinx now, and landed a punch on Jinx's cheek. An unexpected move, considering they had spent the last few minutes exchanging nothing but blasts.

Jinx however, was fast too, she grabbed Bumblebee's wrist and slammed her onto the ground.

"You always were the loser in class." Jinx smirked, then threw Bumblebee into the wall, following up with a series of hex blasts which ripped the room with explosions of smoke and dust.

Bumblebee knelt on the ground, still trying to recover from the shock of the last attack.

"You couldn't even make the final cut at headmaster's academy, so you decided to go off and start your own little useless team. Pathetic." Jinx cracked a smile as she stood over her opponent.

"I don't have to prove anything to a Hive member."

"You don't have to be a bad guy to know your team stinks." Jinx gave another laugh.

Bumblebee growled, then swiped at Jinx's feet with a kick, knocking the Hive villain off balance for just a second as she stepped back.

That was all the time Bumblebee needed, as she shot straight up at Jinx and punched her in the chin, propelling her upwards and onto a table, breaking it in a cloud of dust and wood bits.

"Who stinks now?" Bumblebee gave her knuckles a satisfying crack, she watched as Jinx slowly got up from the broken remnants of the table she just hit. The Hive leader took her time, dusting off the rubble that had dirtied her uniform. She shook her head at Bumblebee, almost disappointed at her performance.

"The same person who just fell for the oldest trick in the book." Jinx gave a grin, nodding her head upwards.

Bumblebee looked up at the gesture, and saw that a large steel beam was dangling from the roof, wreckage from the fire fight that had been tearing holes in the walls. The steel beam however, was surrounded by purple hex energy, planted there beforehand to prevent it from falling.

Now that Bumblebee was right under it, the hex disappeared, allowing gravity to pull the steel beams straight down to earth.

With a loud crash, Bumblebee found herself underneath a huge downpour of concrete and steel. The entire level rumbled, causing windows to shatter and equipment to explode.

Bumblebee tried to pull herself out from the rubble, but she found that she was trapped, not only that, but the rest of her team was beaten too. 

Gathering around her, the Hive five displayed their prizes. Aqualad and Speedy were once again trapped in one of Seemore's bubbles, while Mas Y Menos were being carried by Mammoth, one twin in each hand.

"!Soltanos, tu grande tanto bruto!" Both twins shouted angrily, trying in vain to swipe at the giant with their short hands, as well as trying to reach for one another.

And as if to top off this grand display, Jinx charged her hands with hex energy, aiming it straight at Bumblebee.

"Looks like you lost, traitor. What a surprise. A second rate team led by a second rate failure."

Before Jinx could even fire her hex however, a blue sonic beam blasted through the wall. Jinx instinctively jumped up, avoiding the blast, which destroyed the bubbles Aqualad and Speedy were trapped in.

When the dust settled, all eyes turned to the figure who stood by the hole in the wall, the silouette of a familiar friend and enemy appearing to both teams.

"Cyborg!" Bumblebee said with relief.

"Cyborg?" Jinx said soon afterwards.

"Señor CYBORG!" Mas Y Menos shouted with joy.

The blue robotic titan lowered his smoking energy weapon, giving a smirk as he surveyed the room.

"Who said ya'll could start the party without me?"

----------

"Well if it isn't teacher's pet." Gizmo chuckled anxiously, pointing his robot's giant cannons straight at the Titan, who seemed unphased by them.

"You know these guys?" Bumblebee shouted to Cyborg from the rubble.

"We go back a long way." Cyborg's serious expression didn't change.

"Here for a butt scraping too?" Mammoth cracked his knuckles, dropping Mas Y Menos in the process.

"Yea, but its not my butt that's gonna be scrapped." Cyborg gave a sly grin.

"In case you haven't noticed idiot, we outnumber you five to one, and your security has been overridden by me!" Gizmo laughed as he brought all his heavy artillery around to aim at Cyborg.

"In case you haven't noticed. I overrode your override." Cyborg smiled, putting his palm onto a computer panel by the wall, within seconds, the computer reader came to life and a voice droned from the speakers.

"Encryption keys randomized. Security system reset. Intruder alert. Intruder alert."

Laser cannons began sprouting from the walls now in every direction, training onto the largest target in the room. Gizmo's two story android. Within seconds, hundreds of red laser dots appeared over Gizmo's robot, clustering around its upper body.

"Oh crud…."

The lasers all fired now, bathing the robot in an eerie red glow. A trail of smoke had already left the robot, signs that Gizmo had ejected before his toy was turned into strawberry jam. The steady stream of laser fire continued until Gizmo's robot simply exploded into a million pieces, causing a huge uproar that threw everyone down onto the ground. The building shook so much that small trails of dust and silt fell from the ceiling.

The Hive five collected themselves and rubbed their heads as they recovered from the blast.

"Ugh….did anyone get the number of that truck?" Mammoth groaned, then grunted as he got punched from the back. The gargantuan villain was quickly propelled out of the window, screaming all the way down before he fell into the sea.

"Titans! Go!" Cyborg shouted, and the Titans East got back to work.

"What the- WHOA!" Seemore exclaimed as he dazedly realized that a stream of golden tip arrows were headed straight at him. He switched his lens now, firing another Eyeball, this one red, which exploded on contact with the arrows.

Seemore coughed through the smoke, then found himself thrown out of the window too as Cyborg shot a sonic blast at him. The Hive member flew unceremoniously into the sea.

Jinx, seeing two of her team members taken out so easily, reassessed the situation. Private Hive was fighting Aqualad hand to hand in one corner of the room, while Gizmo was being manhandled by the fast twins, who took apart his mechanical spider legs with ease. It was time to go.

"Hive five! Let's bolt it!" Jinx let loose a huge crescent wave of hex energy into the ground, covering the room in smoke.

"Catch ya later scruds for brains!" Gizmo snickered as he activated his jet pack and flew away. Private Hive, wasting no time, jumped out the window, diving into the cold sea, while Jinx gracefully followed suit.

The Titans were left alone now, in their smoking tower. Triumphant.

For now.

----------

It took several hours of clean up before the tower even partially resembled anything it looked like before. Major repairs were still needed and Cyborg cheerfully spent the day helping his old team.

"Señor CYBORG! Señor CYBORG!" Mas and Menos smiled as they affectionately clinged onto the robot titan's legs, one twin on each.

"Whoa Whoa! Fellas! I missed you too! Just give me some more leg room ok?" He smirked, sitting down at the repaired table with the rest of the Titans East.

Before Bumblebee opened her mouth to talk, Mas Y Menos zoomed past her, bringing Cyborg a drink as well as a card.

"Nos hacias falta! Nos hacias falta!" The twins did a small dance around Cyborg, handing him a flower, card and a box of chocolates in several large swoops.

"er..Nice to see you too double M." Cyborg, suddenly buried under a mountain of gifts, dug himself out.

Bumblebee opened her mouth to speak and begin the meeting, but once again Mas Y Menos zipped in front of Cyborg.

"Recibio Sra. Starfire nuestra tarjeta?"

"Eh?" Speedy gave an annoyed look at the twins. "Look, if you want to be part of the meeting, at least say something we understand."

The twins gave speedy a raspberry.

"How come they know what I say, I can't understand them?" Speedy grumbled.

"Hold it right there Double M. I got just the thing. I've been preparing for this." Cyborg reached under the table now, pulling out an elaborate square device that had a voice meter on it, as well as several controls and shiny lights. A microphone detached and connected into Cyborg's ear.

"Ok, now speak."

"Recibio Sra. Starfire nuestra tarjeta?"

Cyborg gave a small laugh. "Yea double M, I gave your card to her, but it didn't do any good. Star can't read Spanish. Only English and Tamaranian."

Mas Y Menos jumped off the table at this response. "NOOOOOOO POR QUE!" No puede compredernos? "

"I'm afraid not." Cyborg laughed. "Maybe I can teach you some English or Tamaranian one day?"

"Ensenaras? Ensenaras?"

"I promise."

"HOLA!" The twins sped off, reappearing later with a copy of "English for dummies (Spanish version)"

"Ahem." Bumblebee cleared her throat, and Mas Y Menos quickly realized that there was a meeting going on. With a small grin, they both quietly took their seats.

"Anyways, welcome you back to Titans East sparky. Things have been a little hectic around here…as you already know." Bumblebee gave a shrug.

"Yea…just what exactly were your villains doing here in Steel City?" Speedy asked seriously.

"I know just about as much as you guys, but if the Hive is in on this, then-"

"Blood can't be far behind." Aqualad finished off Cy's sentence.

"But we busted Blood's butt months ago. He hasn't escaped yet." Bumblebee added.

"How can you tell?" Cyborg asked inquisitively.

"He's still locked up in prison, although a lot of bad guys have been breaking out around here often."

"Well, if he's still in jail, the Hive Five must be here for him." Cyborg quickly deduced, then gave a friendly nod towards his friends. "I saw how you guys were fighting earlier. You improved a lot."

Bumblebee gave a little smile. "Well Sparky, we kinda took to heart what you said last time. About us being a team, so we amped up on training."

"Yea did we ever," Speedy grumbled, "but those guys…they are like…hardcore, They have formations and other stuff. What do we have? Fish boy, and the zippy twins." He jerked his thumb over at Aqualad and Mas Y Menos, who were quickly realizing that having super speed doesn't mean you can speed learn a language.

"Hey I resent that!" Aqualad pounded the table, and the Speedy quickly met the Alantean's growling glare with his own.

"Whoa whoa! Chill! I thought you guys worked this team thing out!"

"Still rough around the edges Sparky…kinda like Speedy's hairdo." Bumblebee sighed.

"Look, I do my part, I don't see why you're complaining."

"Because all you care about is yourself!" Bumblebee shouted.

Before the meeting into a shouting match, Cyborg yelled out himself.

"ENOUGH!"

The table fell silent.

"Look, you guys are a team, you're friends, you can work this out. If not, then maybe this team isn't the best for you. I've been talking to Robin lately, he's been telling me his doubts about this project. Whether you guys are up to it or not."

"What! No way. Robin's like my pal!" Speedy complained.

"And that's why he's doing this. If you guys can't work together, you'll be risking your lives everyday. We can't let that happen."

"Look, we've been through some tough fights before, but its all been harmless, you know that Cyborg." Aqualad argued.

"I know," Cyborg nodded. "I just want you guys to know, you're part of a team now, you have to trust each other. I can't be here all the time to save your butts." He gave a sly chuckle.

"Still, I've never fought Hive members like that before." Aqualad replied. "They're tougher than I thought."

"Well here's the thing, they may look organized and have fancy formations, but when it all comes down to it, they have their own weaknesses, they make their own mistakes as well. All we have to do is take advantage of them."

The rest of Titans East nodded quietly, automatically accepting Cyborg's role as leader.

"We'll track the Hive down tomorrow, right now, let's get some rest. We'll need it."

With that, the rest of the Titans retired.

----------

"So, the Hive Five are in Steel City. This is serious Cyborg." Robin replied through the communications screen. It was pitch black outside now, in the early hours of the morning.

"Yea, looks like they are hoping to bust Blood out." Cyborg replied.

"Do you guys need any help on this?"

Cyborg thought for a second. "Nah, I'll be enough. Besides, we have to let them do this by themselves. We can't just call the entire team over every time something bad happens in Steel City."

Robin gave an affirmative nod. "Alright, I hope you know what you're doing."

"It'll be fine." Cyborg replied. "It's late man, you should get some rest too. Is everyone asleep?"

"Almost everyone, Beast Boy went out for some late night dessert….wherever you get that. And I will, I just got some work to finish."

Cyborg chuckled. "Well don't wear yourself out, Cyborg out."

The robotic titan pressed a button now, shutting off the view screen.

Back at Titans Tower, Robin leaned over his chair, continuing his monitoring of the city. A small habit he picked up from his days watching for Slade. Now that the criminal was back on the streets, he had to be prepared for anything.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed in the halls behind him, looks like Beast Boy had entered the tower.

The sliding doors into the control room opened now, and Robin turned around to greet his friend.

"You should get some sleep Beast Boy, it's late." Robin stood up and walked towards his friend.

When he got closer however, he realized that the dark figure wasn't his friend at all.

"Hello Robin."

----------

Cyborg continued his work with the repairs, until he finally realized that Bumblebee was in the room.

"Don't you need rest Sparky ? It's been a long day." Bumblebee put down a wrench right next to Cyborg.

The mechanical titan looked up, and saw that she had been standing next to him the whole time he was working.

"I'm fine Bee, you should get some yourself. Your team went through a big beating today."

"I don't think you should call them my team Cyborg….they rarely even listen to me. But you, heh, you fit the leader role like a glove." Bumblebee smiled. "I don't know, after seeing Jinx trash my team like that, if I am the right person for the job."

"They're just getting used to you Bee, give it time." Cyborg gave an encouraging smile. "Remember the first time we met? It wasn't very easy."

Bumblebee chuckled. "Yea, maybe you're right."

Cyborg smiled, then placed his hand on Bumblebee's shoulder.

"You have what it takes B, I know you'll do good." He nodded, then gave a big yawn. "Now if you'll excuse me. I think I'm gonna shut down for tonight."

Bumblebee nodded. "Yea Me too. Catch ya later Sparky."

The two titans left the room now, catching sleep to prepare for the big day ahead of them.

----------


	13. East Meets West Act 1 Pt 2

Thanks ;) glad you all like it so far. Anyways here's the next update!

ACT 1 (Part 2)

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Morning had arrived in steel city, although some sunlight was seen through the clouds, the city, for the most part, was still veiled under a sleet of darkness. A permanent veil of gloom always floated above the city's industrial district, from the thick smoke that was belched from the stacks of Steel City's factories. Flames whooshed out of several more pipes on the rooftops, making visible the silhouettes of the dark cityscape in the distance…..

Buenos diás Señor Cyborg! Mas Y Menos shouted eagerly into Cyborg's ear, causing the titan to jump up instantly, smacking his head on a piece of equipment he had been working on previously.

"AH! Double M, how many times do I have to tell you, don't ever do that while I'm working?"

"¡Vale!" The two twins grinned, then zipped their way to the other side of the room, where they continued reading their "English for dummies (Spanish Edition)." Cyborg meanwhile, continued his work.

"AHEM!" Menos cleared his throat. "Señora Starfire……meeeeee……liiiiiike…you….long time. ¿Entiende? ¿Bueno?" He looked at Mas for an answer.

"!Hey!Debeo hablarlo!" Mas shouted back in a slightly annoyed tone.

"!No tienes razon!" Menos replied with a huge grin on his face.

"!Si, lo tengo, tengo mas anos que ti!" Mas asserted himself, standing tall just inches from his brother's face.

"!Es bastante!Venga aqui!" Menos replied, just as annoyed.

"Con mucho gusto!" Mas rolled up his sleeves and the two brothers suddenly jumped at each other, proceeding to beat the living daylights out of the other. Since they were also touching, their little brawl was taking place at supersonic speeds, quickly engulfing their part of the room into a gigantic whirlwind of dust and punches.

"So Cyborg, anything useful you can tell us about this HIVE five?" Aqualad asked as the robotic titan took his seat at the conference table, along with Speedy and Bumblebee, all of them conveniently ignoring Mas Y Menos zipping around the room still in their mini-battle.

"We only fought em once, and…well, let's just say I don't think it really counted. Everything was weird." Cyborg replied back.

"BANZAI!" Mas charged a slightly dazed menos, spinning both of them into the couch and throwing everything into the air, potato chips, remote controls, and other junk.

"Well, I think we can agree on one thing, they aren't here for no reason." Bumblebee replied seriously, meanwhile in the distance, the sound of crashing furniture and glass continued unnoticed.

"Brother Blood." Cyborg said what everyone at the table was thinking.

"The Hive must be trying to rebuild." Aqualad replied, "They need a leader."

"So what?" Speedy said confidently, resting both his feet on the table and leaning back in his chair. "We got it covered, Steel City is our town after all."

"And this is Brother Blood." Cyborg added, "Don't be too cocky, don't forget last time."

"I didn't." Speedy replied in a more serious tone. "But that was then Cyborg, we can handle it now."

"Just like you guys just did with the Hive Five?"

The other members of Titans East didn't speak now, instead they bowed their heads down, staring at the table. Even their old leader didn't have faith in them.

"Ok, Ok. I'm sorry, low blow, but you guys still need to work on it." Cyborg said in a weary voice, he knew all too well how great the 'chemistry' on this team was.

"We're trying Cyborg, this team thing is something that we need adjusting to." Aqualad replied.

"You tell me." Bumblebee sighed.

"AAAAIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Mas Y Menos screamed as they desperately tried to put the breaks on their super speed run, but it was not enough. The four titans at the table turned and saw a huge swirling dust cloud coming straight at them, seconds later, the twins hit the table, throwing everything up into the sky, including the titans, in a huge explosion of junk and smoke.

"MAS……MENOS……" The four titans stared darkly at the now sweating and nervous superspeed twins.

"Er……No tuve la culpa." The two twins gave innocent shrugs and grins, then slowly backed away from the team.

Before anyone could say anything, the alarm went up again. The lights in the room began blinking on and off in red colours.

Bumblebee took out her communicator. "Trouble."

"Yea, you didn't need that little toy to tell you that Bee." Speedy took his bow, following the rest of the titans and Cyborg to the screen.

"Looks like the Hive Five are heading through downtown, to the prison. We better warn the police." Cyborg said.

"Already did." Bumblebee held her communicator up, which was on the frequency of the police station's.

"We keep closer tabs with the police here, see Sparky? We think ahead." Bumblebee smirked.

Cyborg nodded with a grin. "Alright Titans, Let's go kick some HIVE butt." 

A series of explosions took place in downtown Steel City, followed by masses of screaming civilians as they fled from the scenes of destruction in the streets. Shops, cafes, restaurants and gas stations that were usually crammed full of customers were now vacant, empty, the streets soon devoid of all life except for those who caused this mass panic.

Two police cars arrived on the scene, but as soon as did they arrived, a pick up truck flew through the air, hitting one car and knocking them several dozen feet back down the street, as if they were toys.

Mammoth gave a satisfied laugh as he watched the three-car pile up ensue right in front of him. Now THIS was a summer job.

"When do you think they'll stop sending amateurs to fight us?" Mammoth smirked.

Two other officers, on foot, aimed their weapons and the giant, shouting 'freeze'. Seconds later they fired, only to find that they were trapped inside two invisible bubbles, floating into the sky helplessly in two giant eyeballs.

"Hyuk Hyuk, I don't know, but this is just too easy." Seemore commented.

"Hey Giz! Look what I found!" Mammoth smashed his hand through the window, later producing a huge stereo system with ultra-sized speakers that made it somewhat heavy even for the strongman's muscles.

The ever vigilant technician, Gizmo, turned on his rocket pack and took a look at the machine, it was state of the art, shiny, and was probably worth at least a five figure sum.

"Nah, already got one." Gizmo laughed, transforming into his robotic suit and blowing the boom box up with his hand cannon, leaving a charred and slightly annoyed Mammoth under a cloud of smoke.

"Hey! I was gonna keep it!" Mammoth growled.

"Cool down ya big gorilla, I can build ya a new one." Gizmo snickered.

As they talked, a bakery was being ransacked, pots, pans, and loafs of bread flew out the doors, as if the person inside was trying to find something. Moments later, Private Hive emerged from the building. 

"Attention Hive members! Have a look at these delicious delicacies, brought to you by your very own Private HIVE." 

Seemore, Mammoth and Gizmo went in for a closer look, then they realized what Private Hive was holding, a tray full of fresh apple pies, the lovely aroma filling the air around him.

The three hive members gave convulsions of disgust and anger, Mammoth swatted the tray away with his hand while Gizmo instantly vaporized it with one of his laser cannons.

The three Hive members converged on Private Hive, who nervously backed away to a wall. "Er….was there a problem soldier?" The villain asked nervously.

"No….more….." Mammoth began.

"Stinking…." Seemore continued.

"Pie……" Gizmo finished it off.

Private Hive took a moment to comprehend the message delivered to him. "Hehe…oh right…that…."

Mammoth and Gizmo turned now, watching Jinx stand patiently on the roof top, overlooking everyone. It was as if she were waiting for something.

"What's wrong Jinx? You used to enjoy having fun like this." Mammoth shouted up to the roof.

"We're not here to have fun. We have a job to do." Jinx replied seriously.

"She's acting all responsible and stuff, just because she thinks she's our leader." Gizmo gave a small whisper to mammoth.

"I'd like to see you do a better job." Mammoth replied gruffly.

"Hey! I'll have you know you big stinking crud face, I can lead twice as good as that scrawny-"

Gizmo didn't have time to finish, an exploding arrow hit his jetpack, shrouding the entire street in smoke, and causing the young villain to spiral out of control into the sky, his scream trailing off with the rocket engines.

"Cruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuud….." Gizmo soon disappeared into the sky.

"That should even things up." Speedy smirked from his vantage point, a rooftop that was several hundred meters away from the scene.

Immediately in front of the Hive Five, were Cyborg and the rest of Titans East.

"Boo-yah! Titans, go!" Cyborg charged his laser cannon, firing it straight at Private Hive, who blocked it with his shield, although the power of the blast was strong enough to send him sliding back several feet.

"Hive Five, Formation Delta!" Jinx shouted, then she did a back flip off the rooftop. As she was in mid air, and upside down, she twirled, firing several purple crescents at the Titans East.

Titans East tried to split, but they were boxed in. On their left, Jinx's hexes were firing at a constant rate, causing huge explosions and tearing huge scars into the ground. Mas Y Menos tried to go left, but instead, found themselves caught in the middle of a bubble field. At first they tried to escape, but all the bubbles converged on the two, eventually forming a giant bubble with the two heroes floating aimlessly inside.

"OH vey……Me mareo." Mas Y Menos clutched their stomachs as if they were suddenly seasick.

"It's no good" Bumblebee said as she fired back her stinger blasts to counter Jinx's hexes. "they've got us trapped."

"And the only way out, is through me." Mammoth cracked his knuckles. The Hive five had set up a field of fire on the left and right, and the only way forward, was through the center, where Mammoth stood.

"With pleasure!" Cyborg and Aqualad charged Mammoth, and with two punches the strongman was sent flying back into a building, causing its brick wall to collapse on him in a mountain of dust and rubble.

"My turn!" Bumblebee took to the skies, fully intending to pummel Jinx with a huge array of blasts.

"Not this time missy!"

Bumblebee looked above her, and saw the silouette of Private Hive's foot landing on her face.

There was no time to react, and the two combatants landed on the ground. Bumblebee crashed into the cement, Private Hive's still standing on her face.

"Now this is how we do pest control in the army." Private Hive pressed a button on his shield, causing it to transform into a sharper edge.

"Senorita Bumblebee!" Mas Y Menos shouted from the bubble, running as fast as they could, but they found that they were going no where, the bubble was spinning just as a hamster wheel was spinning.

Before Hive could do anything however, a flurry of arrows hit him, casting a net over the villain.

"What in tarnation!" Private Hive shouted from his tangle of ropes.

"Need a hand?" Speedy's voice came from above, and suddenly Private Hive found a foot contacting his face, throwing him out of the net and into Seemore's bubble, bursting it on impact.

"What the heck are you doing man?" Seemore grumbled, changing his Eyeball slot to make his goggle lens red, then he began firing a stream of exploding Eyeballs.

Speedy and Mas Y Menos dodged the attack by jumping, while Bumblebee flew straight at Seemore.

"My turn!" Bumblebee shouted. A strong punch to Seemore sent the villain flying down the street landing several dozen feet away from her.

"Why that little, just wait till I- huh?" Seemore looked down, and saw a growing shadow encompassing him. Then he looked up, and saw Gizmo.

"CRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUD."

"Oh man."

Gizmo crashed down to earth, his jet pack exploding, causing a huge crater of smoke and ash in the street, where he and seemore lay groaning.

Another punch from Cyborg sent Mammoth reeling back, making him drop his grip on Aqualad, the Atlantean took this time to point his palm to a nearby fire hydrant, causing the water to erupt towards Mammoth.

The giant gurgled as a constant stream of water flew into his mouth, inflating it until it reached ridiculous proportions.

"Here, something to wash it down." Cyborg punched Mammoth again, and the supervillain spat all his water back out.

Jinx, supervising the battle, decided that enough was done.

"Hive Five! Withdrawl formation Zeta!" She ran, along with Private Hive and Mammoth.

Gizmo and Seemore, slightly dazed from the landing, saw their team members retreating, they followed suit, so that the five supervillains were running down the street, towards the prison.

"Don't let them get away!" Cyborg yelled, and the rest of Titans East was running after them.

Mas Y Menos sped ahead, using their super speed to over take them, but Seemore turned around, gave a laugh, and trapped one of the twins in an eyeball bubble.

The Hive Five continued running, closing in on Steel City's prison with each step. It was only a block away.

"Why…do you think…they're going there?" Aqualad asked.

"They know they got their butts whooped." Speedy replied as he ran. "So they need to get away."

"By running straight to jail? These guys must be out of their minds." Bumblebee shouted.

"Or desperate." Aqualad huffed

"In any case, they will need our help there, come on! We gotta catch them!" Cyborg by this time, reached Mas Y Menos. Mas was still trapped in the bubble, while menos tried desperately in vain to pull the wrapping of the eyeball apart.

"No time now guys." Cyborg said, picking one of the twins up in his hands and dragging the bubble with him.

Almost there….

The prison gates were violently thrown open, one of the huge metal doors sliding on the ground as it was punched off its hinges. Inside was a huge vacant courtyard, flanked by stone structures and walls that gave this place an eerie resemblance to some Transylvanian castle. The dark skies of Steel City did nothing to improve the mundane atmosphere.

The Hive Five took the time to catch their breath in the courtyard, stopping the middle and resting, just seconds before the Titans East caught up to them.

"Looks like you guys need to get some facts straight. Bad guys don't normally run into prison." Speedy gave a satisfied smirked.

The lights in the courtyard came to light now, bathing the entire field in a huge flash of light, all focused on the Hive Five. Around them, hundreds of police officers, each one carrying a laser rifle, pointed and clicked their weapons at the super villains.

"It's over." Cyborg stepped forward. 

"Give yourselves in." Bumblebee continued.

Jinx this time, in a surprising move, turned and faced the Titans, along with the rest of the Hive Five. The villains didn't look nervous at all.

"Joke's on you crud suckers." Gizmo laughed.

"Once again, miss predictable plays right into our hands." Jinx smirked at Bumblebee.

The Titans gave surprised looks. "What-"

Suddenly the gates behind them closed, a new pair of reinforced steel doors dropping from the walls above. The police officers, who moments ago were training their guns on the Hive Five, now focused all their weapons on the Titans East, along with the lights.

"What the-" bumblebee shouted, covering her eyes in the blinding light, "what's going on?"

"I think I know what's going on." Cyborg pointed straight ahead, at the blinding lights, where the silouette of a familiar figure stood in front of them. A man in a white and yellow robe, his face half laced with red cybernetic attachements.

"Blood." Cyborg muttered.

Brother Blood gave a triumphant, mocking laugh.

"Here beginneth the first lesson Titans," Blood smirked. "Never lock a psychic in a prison just **_teeming_** with minds to be controlled."


	14. East Meets West Act 2 pt 1

Sorry for the wait guys, here's act 2 :D

ACT 2

"Ah Cyborg, just the person I wanted to see." Blood's voice was rich in a suave and sophisticated tone.

"How did you get out?" Cyborg charged his sonic cannon, aiming it straight at Brother Blood.

The supervillain gave a laugh. "My my Cyborg, I should have taught you some manners. Is that any way to greet an old teacher?"

"You were never my teacher." Cyborg wanted to spit at Blood's face, but he gritted his teeth, restraining himself from doing so.

"I'm the better judge of that." Brother Blood snapped his fingers, the armed guards surrounded the Titans, rifles aimed straight at them.

"I originally wanted to lure these amateur titans into my lair, but I am pleasantly surprised to see you here Cyborg, I thought you had disappeared from me."

"You still haven't answered my question." Cyborg said grimly.

"Tsk tsk." Brother Blood shook his head, "so very uncivil indeed, but if you insist." The super villain replied in a more serious tone, although it was quite evident he was enjoying this moment, outmaneuvering his opponent, savouring the victory.

"The last time you defeated me Cyborg, I was humiliated, rightfully so, I had a victory cheated out of me, by you." He pointed at Cyborg accusingly.

"So I spent my time in jail hatching up my scheme for revenge, and I must say, the accommodations were most…..pleasant. Room service, a different Entrée every night, even my own cable television, my own personal resort really." Blood gave a lighthearted chuckle.

"You mean, you were controlling the police the whole time?" Bumblebee cut in.

Blood gave a satisfied nod. "I could have escaped anytime I wanted, but instead I bided my time. For entertainment, I usually let out a few convicts here and there, but when I get really bored, I start reaching out further, into say…..Titan Territory."

"So that explains Kardiak." Bumblebee deduced.

"And all those other monsters we've been fighting all week." Aqualad added.

"That was you! Do you even realize what you've put us through? I barely had any time to relax or sleep these past few weeks!" Speedy complained at Blood, waving his fist angrily at him.

"My plan precisely, I was going to overwhelm you amateurs with every criminal in the city, but somehow, you still survived. Luckily, an old team of mine came calling into the neighbourhood, the perfect opportunity to destroy this city's only defense against me, however pitiful." Blood gave a smirk at this line.

"And voila, we find ourselves here, at this point in time. Or, let me rephrase it. You, found yourselves, in my trap." A dark grin came onto Blood's face as he pressed a button.

Robotic cannons suddenly detached from the walls now, each one aimed at a Titan.

"Good night Titans."

Before Titans East or Cyborg could even more, the cannons did their work, firing electric beams which fried the heroes. Cyborg and the rest of the team screamed from the pain, trying to fight their way out of the blast. The blue beams of electricity cackled wickedly in the darkness, eventually enveloping all the titans, paralyzing them onto the ground.

"Excellent, take them away." Blood waved his hand at the Titans, then turned to walk into the prison halls, with the Hive Five walking behind him.

Jinx turned her head around, watching quietly as Cyborg was lifted off the ground, given electronic shackles and carried into the building.

She shook her head disappointingly, turning back to follow her teammates into the building.

It was dark and cold, with no sounds save for the whirring machinery cutting against steel in the background. Cyborg groaned, his head felt like it had been pounded on by a sledge hammer.

Pain….good, that means I'm alive.

He tried to move his hands experimentally, but found that they were pinned down. He tried to apply more pressure, but even with his massive strength his robotic hands weren't going anywhere, it was obvious now, he was strapped down with metallic clamps around his arms.

He opened his eyes, the suddenly splash of light caused another surge of pain, and he could not contain his groan. It took awhile to focus, but when the image came to him, he wished that he did not.

"Ah! Awake now aren't we Cyborg? Excellent, I would hate to have had you miss the show. My apologies if you feel a little, rough around the edges, my Hive Students are known for being overzealous."

Cyborg looked passed Brother Blood, saw more police squad men working on some kind of contraption, draped in a brown cloak. In one part of the room, men with blow torches and tools worked on a computer console, while other policemen carried around crates and materials around the construction site. Cyborg realized now, they were in the Prison main hall, only this main hall was being converted into some kind of facility for Blood.

Before he could look any further, a cold metallic hand grabbed Cyborg by the chin, turning his head forwards.

"My my, rather curious aren't we? But don't worry Cyborg, all will be revealed soon enough."

"Where is my team?" Cyborg demanded angrily.

"Team? What team?" Brother Blood gave an innocent shrug, the snapped his fingers as if he suddenly had a surge of realization. "AH! You mean those failures? They should be the least of your concern Cyborg. Right now, let's focus on you shall we?"

"If you think you're going to convince me to join you, you can just shove that right up your-"

"You WILL join me Cyborg. Whether you like it or not." Brother Blood shouted back. "Imagine, with you and your technology by my side, the HIVE academy will be untouchable!"

"If you couldn't do it last time, what makes you think you can now?" Cyborg replied defiantly.

Blood gave a chuckle. "They say defeat is more instructive than victory my dear student, and indeed, I have been considering how to handle this moment for some time. So I will tell you what I will do."

Blood gave Cyborg a sinister grin, edging forward to come face to face with the mechanical Titan.

"I'm going to make you human again."

Cyborg at first, did not register the meaning in Brother Blood's words, but now, it dawned on him.

"You're going to-…..but how? Why?" Cyborg replied back, genuinely surprised.

"From our last encounter Cyborg, I have concluded that something in your technology allows you to resist me. You believe it was your spirit, but I think more realistically." Blood tapped the robotic side of his head. "It is all in here."

"The complications of controlling a mind that is half machine and half organic is evidently too much for my powers, so I'm going to make you fully organic. Think about it Cyborg, I'll be giving you what you've been seeking all this time, A real body, a chance to be normal like everyone else."

Blood's eyes then began glowing in a sinister red. "And my chance to control you like everyone else. When I am done, there will be no more Cyborg, only my prized student. Victor Stone." The villain smirked, holding Cyborg's head up by his cheek.

Cyborg did not reply. It was too…confusing. All this time he wanted to be human again, to feel the warm breeze of a summer day against his skin, to be able to run and jump as much as he could without having to worry about batteries or wearing out his parts.

But at the same time…it seemed so wrong.

"How are you going to do it Blood? You think I haven't tried?" Cyborg replied back.

"Luckily for you Cyborg, I found the perfect solution." Blood then pointed towards a huge bubbling vat of chemicals that sat on the side of the room, with a mind-controlled professor Chang at the helm.

"You see, I recently discovered from my scientific associate there, a process that allows me to clone a perfectly good body. Once I have that body, it will be a matter of transferring your thought patterns into the brain."

Brother Blood however, shook his head disappointingly. "Sadly however, the process is unstable right now, and I have yet to find a way to clone perfectly working organs. But then it hit me Cyborg. You seem to have plenty of teammates around that could act as potential donors. As they say, what are friends for?" The villain began laughing.

"NO!" Cyborg shouted. He wanted his humanity back, but not at this price. He could never live with himself afterwards….to ruin another's life, just to have his back….

"Oh yes…." Brother Blood said darkly. "Don't worry, once you're in your new body, I can wipe those nasty memories from your head, and the only thing you will focus on, is rebuilding the Hive Academy as my best student."

"And the Hive Academy will be reborn, make no mistake, with this!" Brother Blood walked over to the giant piece of machinery that dominated the room, but was covered by a cloak.

The villain took a satisfying breath, savouring this moment of his triumph, before pulling the curtains down from the machine.

It revealed a black machine, that resembled a misshapen heart. Wires, tubes and lights were arrayed all over the device, which pulsated with red lights. It took up almost half of the giant hall.

"Beautiful isn't it? I call it a psychic dominator. _My Design_." Blood pointed proudly to the machine.

"When activated, this device will produce a psychic wave which will expand in every direction, anything caught in its path will immediately be under my control. With this, I can turn this entire city into my slaves with just a push of a button. A perfect starting ground for my new academy." Blood smirked, walking over to inspect a piece of machinery with Professor Chang, then he turned back at Cyborg.

"You'll have to excuse me for a minute while I check some preparations, but it's not like you're going anywhere anytime soon." Blood laughed, then walked away.

Cyborg grunted even harder, trying to get loose from his steel restraints, but it was like they were made from some kind of indestructible alloy.

"You know….if you keep doing that, you'll hurt yourself." Another voice came from behind Cyborg, and he looked in surprise to find that it was Jinx.

"So you're with Blood again?" Cyborg said inadequately.

"I'm a Hive Member Cyborg." Jinx replied back, and Cyborg did not reply, instead he stared blankly at the ground. An awkward silence breaking out between them.

"I heard what the headmaster was planning on doing to your friends." Jinx began, "You know, you can save them if you just take his offer. You can still join our team Cyborg, and be one of us."

Cyborg shook his head firmly.

"Sorry jinx, I've already got my own team."

Jinx however, was not done. "But Cyborg-"

"Having second thoughts jinx?" Brother blood said cheerfully, walking behind Jinx with his red glowing eyes. Jinx's eyes soon began glowing red soon after, just like Brother Blood's.

"No headmaster..." Her voice was lifeless, as if she were hypnotized. Then the red glowing eyes were gone, and Jinx was once again herself. She gave Cyborg one more look, a trace of pity in her eyes, then she turned and walked back to the other members of the HIVE five.

"You won't get away with this." Cyborg grunted as he tried to get out of his restraints, but they were too strong.

Blood laughed.

"Ah, how many times have I heard that before……..and just who will stop me? YOU? Pulling another magic trick out of that bag of yours? Or Bumblebee? and her pathetic band of misfit failures?"

He stepped closer to Cyborg, a confident grin appearing on his face.

"To be honest, I don't see any of that happening really." He said casually.


	15. East Meets West Act 2 pt 2

**Act 2 Part 3**

The five members of Titans East were chained against the walls in a cell, which resembled a cold dank cellar. Dozens of guards were posted on the outside, patrolling the halls mindlessly like dronesBumblebee groaned, opening her eyes to see Speedy and Aqualad chained to the wall in front of her.

"It's about time you woke up miss beauty queen." Speedy sneered at Bumblebee.

"Ugh…where are we?" Bumblebee wanted to rub her head, but the restraints were preventing her from moving her arms. A red, laser collar hung around her neck, and she probably guessed that it was Blood's way of keeping her shrinking powers in check.

"Let's see, dark, cold place, chained against a wall. It's called a cell." Speedy replied.

"We fell for Blood's trap. Again." Aqualad was the next to reply.

"Ooooooooo Me duele la cabeza." Mas Y Menos complained from the side of the room. The twins were chained next to each other, separated by about a foot.

"Well no time to get all gloomy about it, we need a plan." Bumblebee asserted herself.

"Yeah, just like the last plan eh Bee?" Speedy scoffed.

Bumblebee gave Speedy an irritated look. "Alright Speedy, if you don't like me being leader fine. I don't see you stepping up to the plate. Besides, Cyborg's in trouble, the last thing we need to do is argue with each other."

Speedy and Bumblebee glared at each other in anger, a stare down ensuing in the middle of this dark dungeon. Both Titans made it obvious that they didn't like each other, and finally, their feelings were coming to the surface. But when they realized that they couldn't move out of their restraints, or even had the strength to shout in their shackles, they both gave a weary sigh.

Bumblebee was the first to break the silence.

"Ok, maybe I've been taking this leader thing a little too seriously, maybe I was working you guys a little too hard, but I just want us to be the best."

"Yea, I just wish we knew how." Aqualad replied.

"We'll get the hang of it, we just need to trust each other." Bumblebee said firmly. "We haven't really improved much as a team since Cyborg left."

Speedy sighed. "Well, maybe I've also been slacking off too much myself. But none of that matters now, we have to escape and stop Blood. For Cyborg's sake."

Mas Y Menos nodded in determination, "Para señor Cyborg!"

"Ok, well we got that part done, now how are we gonna bust out?" Bumblebee asked.

"Mas Y Menos! Sí podemos!" The twins grunted, trying to reach for each other's hand just a foot away from each other. Obviously Blood had designed this trap to mock the two speedsters, who were only inches away from freedom as their hands nearly touched.

One thing Blood didn't count on however, was the twin's ingenuity.

"¡Ahora!" The two twins shouted in unison, jumping off the ground and swinging their bodies towards each other. The last inch of distance was quickly covered as both their feet touched in midair.

"¡Excelente!" Mas Y Menos grinned. Just as they touched their arms began twirling at hypersonic speeds, easily breaking the shackles that chained them to the wall as well as causing a section of the wall to collapse in a whirlwind of smoke.

"What was that?" Six Guards, each on carrying a laser rifle, ran down the corridor that was filled the dust and soot. Within the smoke, a series of struggling grunts, punches and incoherent Spanish phrases were heard. Not knowing what was going on, the guards held their positions, each one training their guns into the fog.

When the dust sifted, only the five members of Titans East stood.

"Titans Go!" Bumblebee immediately dashed at the group of soldiers, shrinking and swerving to avoid the laser fire.

It didn't take her long to break through, as she gave one of the police officers an uppercut punch, sending the man flying into the air, and then she flew on.

Mas Y Menos did the same. They zipped past the police officers, throwing almost all of them into the air by the sheer power of their speed shock wave. When the mind-controlled policemen regained their sense, they noticed that they weren't carrying their guns anymore.

They all turned to see a grinning Mas Y Menos, each twin holding a stack of rifles in their hands.

"¡Adiós!" They quickly sped away, disappearing in a cloud of dust.

"Coming through!" Aqualad and Speedy took advantage of this distraction to pummel the remaining guards. Speedy elbowed a guard in the face, another was hit with his bow. Aqualad punched his way through the remaining groups of guards, joining the rest of his teammates as they blasted their way through the prison.

**------**  
Alarms flared throughout the facility, which was quickly lit up in red light, in every corridor and main room, ceiling-mounted sirens began spinning in place. Dozens of armed guards soon made their way into the corridors, trying to seek out the source of the trouble.

Blood however, simply ignored the alarms, as he was content with watching his mechanical monstrosity come to life as his prized machine started up. Cackles of electricity bathed the room in a wicked blue, while the humming and whirring of machines turned louder and louder, until the room itself began to rumble under the sound.

Brother Blood took a long, satisfying breath of air.

"Beautiful isn't it Cyborg? Don't worry about your new body though, I'll make sure this won't hurt. Much." Blood smiled, brandishing a curved surgical knife in front of Cyborg's face. The blade gave a sickening glint as it reflected the dim white lights of the room.

Next to Blood, were a vat of chemicals, which was already starting to bubble from Chang's chemicals.

Cyborg's eyes widened at the sight of the surgical tool, and he tried even more to break free of his shackles, but he did not have the strength.

"You. Are. Insane." Cyborg said grimly, determined to be defiant to the last.  
Blood merely chuckled.

"Ah Cyborg….words can't describe the satisfaction of hearing you squirm like that. But I'll let that pass, since you'll be singing a different tune in a few hours." Blood gave Cyborg a dark grin, the blade inching slowly towards his face…..

A spark flew from the blade as a golden arrow made contact with Blood's instrument, knocking it out of his hand and making it impale onto a wall nearby.

"I'll tell you this much Blood, you make me sick." Speedy shot out.

Blood turned to the side of the prison door, and saw that the Titans East members were all there. Aqualad and Bumblebee appeared next to Speedy moments later, dumping the unconscious bodies of two guards onto the ground.

"It's over Blood." Bumblebee charged her stingers as she floated above her team.

"On the contrary my misguided student, things are only just heating up." 

Brother Blood snapped his fingers, and instantly, his Hive Team assembled right beside him. Gizmo was hovering in the air on his mechanical wings, while Mammoth, Seemore and Private Hive stood beneath him. 

Assembled in the center of the team, was Jinx, who eyed her former classmate fiercely.  
"Show no mercy. Crush them." Blood's eyes lit up in red.

"Hive Five! Attack Pattern Alpha!" Jinx shouted, and on command, all the Hive Members launched themselves at the Titans East.

Gizmo was the first to act, pressing a button on his chest control panel. Within seconds he began transforming, piece by piece, his body became encased in his robotic armour. A set of goggles emerged over his eyes, while his boots became rocket thrusters. The transformation was finished with Gizmo gaining two cannons on each of his forearms. Already he had his crosshairs set on one target.

"Say goodbye, Titan-scrunge" Gizmo laughed.

At this, a salvo of missiles were fired at Titans East. The first projectiles to hit the ground exploded with great force, sending spouts of concrete and dust into the air, and leaving a huge crater.

"Titans, take them down!" Bumblebee shouted, and the Titans East immediately scattered to avoid the rest of the missiles, which took out the doorway they were standing at.

"Think you are up to a rematch? Newbie?" Mammoth made good use of the diversion Gizmo made, and charged Aqualad, tackling him with his shoulder. The Atlantean could not hope to match the Hive member even with his super strength, and Aqualad found himself flying towards a section of the wall.

Seemore struck next, the blast from Gizmo also separated all the Titans, and this was the beauty of Attack Pattern Alpha, divide and conquer. He zeroed in on Bumblebee, who was fighting with Private Hive.

One kick from the Titan was blocked by Hive's shield, and Bumblebee shrunk to avoid a shield swipe in return.

"Looks like this is going to be a piece of cake." Seemore chuckled, firing his eyeballs at Bumblebee. To his surprise however, the Titan changed course, veering straight towards Seemore. With her stingers, she popped all the eyeballs heading for her, and decked Seemore in the face with a punch.

Before Private Hive could do anything, Mas Y Menos were already circling him at tremendous speeds.

Only to trip as the ground around the twins was blown apart by Jinx's hex, the Spanish twins screamed as they were tossed aside, next to Aqualad.

Speedy meanwhile, was also backing away towards his team members, shooting down all the missiles Gizmo was releasing towards him. However, the sheer number of explosives forced Speedy into the corner.

Bumblebee rejoined her teammates, and the Hive Five gathered in front of the heroes, confident in the fact that they bested their opponents.

"They're tough, any suggestions boss?" Speedy whispered under his breath.

"Remember what Cyborg said," Bumblebee said softly, "They are just like any other opponent, we might have our own weaknesses but so do they, we just got to pick the right opponents."

Speedy grinned. "I see where you're going."

Jinx stepped forward. "Well amateurs? Have you had enough?" Jinx laughed mockingly, a red glare appearing in her eyes.

"Do you fake titans have anything to say before the Hive Five puts your team out of commission?"

The five members of Titans East stepped forward with equal confidence, facing their counterparts.

"Maybe you're right, maybe we don't deserve to be called Titans….." Bumblebee started off.

"but that doesn't mean we still can't wipe the floor with you." Speedy strung up three explosive arrows onto his bow, sending them straight at the Hive.

The villains all jumped to avoid the blast, separating in all directions. The Titans did not waste any time, attacking with grim determination, each one carefully picking out their opponents.

Gizmo laughed as he faced Aqualad, standing calmly next to the wall.

"If you crudge-snappers couldn't beat us as a team, what makes you think you stand a chance against me?" The small mechanic villain then fired a flurry of missiles and laser beams at Aqualad.

The Atlantean dodged the salvos directed at him, which blew huge holes in the wall and floor. Aqualad continued making his way along the wall before stopping at a random spot.

"Eh?" Gizmo commented. "What's wrong? Given up?"

"Not exactly." Aqualad shot back.

Plumbing pipes began bursting from the walls behind Aqualad, gathering a huge tidal wave of water behind its manipulator. Before Gizmo could do anything, the huge wall of water slammed into him, sweeping to the other side of the room.

Gizmo however, remained unaffected, still hovering in the air on his jet pack.

Then his equipment began short circuiting, electrical sparks flew all over his suit. His weapons were being fried by the water, while his rockets suddenly died down.

"My tech!" The mechanic screamed as he came crashing down to earth.

**------**

Meanwhile on the other side of the room, Bumblebee and Private Hive fought once again. The Titan shrunk several times to avoid Hive's sharp-edged shield while at the same time, she pummeled him with stinger blasts, which were quickly absorbed by the shield.

Bumblebee too, was also fighting Jinx, who stepped in to deliver a twirl of purple hexes, knocking Bumblebee down onto the ground.

The two villains smirked as they surrounded the Titan.

"Haha little missy, you gotta do better than that if you want to beat the Hive five." Private Hive grinned.

At that instant, both Jinx and Hive attacked, Hive hurled his shield like a Frisbee at Bumblebee while Jinx fired more of her cursed magic at the Titan.

Bumblebee however, smiled and simply shrunk smaller, flying away to let the two projectiles meet.

Jinx's spell quickly hit Private Hive's shield, and since Jinx's magic was made to bring bad luck, Hive's indestructible shield quickly crumbled into several pieces.

"My shield! You'll pay for that soldier!" Hive shook his fist at Bumblebee, whose only reply was to dive straight at the villain and punch him several times in her shrunken form.

Private Hive recoiled back, obviously surprised that Bee still retained her strength even in that little bug size. Another punch across the face send Hive flying straight at Gizmo, who was still falling toward the ground….

This left Bumblebee alone with Jinx.

**------**

Seemore chuckled, sending a huge wave of random floating eyeballs at Speedy. Some were exploding eyes, others were the ones that trapped its victims, each eye was in a different colour, ranging from green, yellow, to red, all of them equally dangerous.

Speedy fired as he ran, destroying the eyeballs that got close, trying to clear a path through to their creator.

The next eye he shot exploded, hurling Speedy back against a wall, trapped on all sides by the trap Eyeballs.

Seemore, delighted in his victory, laughed.

"You gotta be faster than that if you hope to escape my eyes."

Speedy however, quickly got up, didn't even show a trace of looking dismayed at being hit.

"I don't have to be fast."

He quickly strung up an arrow, and fired it at Seemore. This arrow as different however, for it had a sharp point. It quickly bursted every eyeball bubble that stood between him and Seemore. The arrow hit its mark, hitting the wall just inches next to Seemore's face.

The villain gave a surprised look.

"I just have to be accurate." Speedy quickly took out three more arrows, placing him on his bow and aiming them at Seemore.

"Keep your eye on the ball." Speedy smirked, then let loose his three arrows. Two of them went straight for Seemore while the third one veered off to the right.

"It'll take more than a few sticks to beat me." Seemore sneered, then fired a barrage of eyeballs at the arrows. The bubble eyeballs were quickly popped, so Seemore switched to his exploding eyeballs next. The first arrow was shot out rather easily, vanishing into a huge explosion. But through the smoke, Speedy's second arrow flew straight at Seemore, flying even faster than before.

There was no time to attack, so Seemore jumped to his left, letting the golden arrow impale itself onto the wall where he once stood.

Giving a triumphant laugh, the villain stood up, shouting at Speedy through the smoke.

"Looks like you missed hotshot!" He laughed.

"No, I'd call that a bullseye." Speedy replied.

The third arrow, which veered off from the original path, now struck its target. Seemore at first, didn't realize he was hit until his vision suddenly became black. Speedy's third arrow had found its mark, hitting Seemore straight in his special goggle's eyeball, Speedy had planned this from the start. The first two arrows he fired were sharp and deadly, but this one was different.

Seemore gave a scream as electricity surged through his goggles and body, his headgear became fried to a crisp and began smoking.

Finally, Speedy's arrow exploded, and from the explosion, Seemore was sent flying straight towards the other defeated Hive Members…

**------**  
Mammoth growled as his fists pummeled the ground beneath him, causing whole slabs of concrete to fly up into the air. But to his frustration, he soon found that his punch had missed its mark.

Mas Y Menos smiled as they zipped past Mammoth's punches, sitting on top of his head and giving a taunting grin.

"Perdone, Senor, ¿Habla usted español?"

Mas then pulled out his "English for Dummies, Spanish edition" and held it in front of Mammoth's face.

"¿Hay alguna cadena en inglés?" Mas asked eagerly, as if they were more concerned about learning English than fighting this battle.

Mammoth snorted, he quickly got up, and tried to pound Mas off his head. The twins however, were faster, zipping away just as Mammoth's fist came crashing down onto his skull.

The giant, slightly phases, looked around the room for his adversaries.

They appeared seconds later on his shoulders, Menos this time showed Mammoth a TV guide which had many English programs on it.

"¿Cuándo hay programas infantiles? En Video?" Menos grinned.

"Grrrr..., if you think you can make fun of Mammoth, you got another thing coming wimps!" The giant snarled, running straight towards a stone wall in hopes of catching the twins in his shoulders in the crash.

Mammoth, in the meantime, did his best to catch the twins in his grip. He swung over to his shoulder, to find that the twins reappeared on his head.

"Lo sientos senor, Me llamo Mas. Permítame presentarle a mi Hermano." Mas pointed to Menos

"Me llamo Menos!" Menos followed suit, sitting on Mammoth's shoulder now.

"¿Cómo se va? Bienvenido a Steel City. ¿Está vuestro primero viaje en Steel City?"

"ARGH!" Mammoth crashed into the wall now, making a huge hole in the concrete as well as causing a section of the large room to collapse.

"Ooooooooh." Mas Y Menos said with concern as they watched Mammoth emerge from the stone wall, dazed and bruised from the stones.

"Recomiendo que vaya al hospital, Senor."

"THAT'S IT YOU LITTLE FREAKS, YOU'RE MINE!" Mammoth lunged, and managed to grab Menos by the hand.

The strong man, surprised that he was able to catch one of the speed twins, gave a sharp laugh.

"Ahah! You're so dead."

"EH?" Mas Y Menos looked at each other then shrugged, they looked at Mammoth, who was about to choke Menos in a vice grip.

"Encantado" The twins gave a grin, then began running in circles at supersonic speeds, naturally dragging Mammoth along, who refused to let go. The giant screamed as Mas Y Menos increased their speed, whirling around so fast that a tornado began forming in the room.

After several hundred fast circuits around the room, Mammoth's grip loosened, and he let go. The momentum of Mas Y Menos' spin however, sent the giant flying at his defeat Team mates, Seemore, Private Hive, and Gizmo, who were all gathered in one spot.

"Hasta la vista, Senor!" Mas Y Menos stopped, waving Mammoth goodbye as he flew screaming towards his teammates.

The three Hive members groaned, still recovering from their recent defeat, when they suddenly saw a huge dark mass headed towards them, a screaming Mammoth.

Gizmo groaned.

"This is the part of the job I hate."

With a loud crash, Mammoth collided into all three of the Hive members, but he didn't stop there, thanks to Mas Y Menos' superspeed, Mammoth, along with the three Hive members pinned against his body, flew out of the room, leaving a nice imprint of them in ceiling.

Jinx, her team defeat, found herself facing the whole of Titans East now, by herself.

"Give it up Jinx, it's over." Bumblebee ordered.

"To a Hive dropout?." Jinx's eyes glowed purple now, and two hex spells formed in her hands.

"I don't think so."

Before Jinx could attack however, Brother Blood stepped in to stop Jinx.

"Same with you Blood, we're taking you in."

The super villain gave a mocking laugh as he watched the Titans, apparently unconcerned about the threat he would pose him. Cyborg, still trapped in his restraints, couldn't help but be impressed by how far his team had gone.

Blood however, thought differently.

"You seriously think you pose a threat to me? You are a waste of my time, not even worth being mind controlled. You're all amateurs, fish flopping failures. A bunch of no talent drop-outs who decided to call their own team 'titans'. I am very disappointed in you Bumblebee, you could have done better."

Bumblebee gripped her fists at that last remark.

"In any case, it's always good to have a backup plan. Unlike you, I _do _plan ahead. And just to prove my point, I will introduce you to the new Hive Team."

Blood turned around now, sweeping his hand in a grand gesture towards the prison gates. As if on cue they opened, revealing the silhouettes of four very familiar faces standing at the doorway, only this time, the roles were reversed, it was the original titans who were brainwashed now.

"No way……" Cyborg gasped as he saw Beast Boy, Robin, Starfire and Raven standing at the doorway, their eyes lifeless and red from Blood's mind control.

"Ooooh Yes….." Blood clapped his hands together, a maniacal laugh filling the room as both teams of Titans geared themselves for the upcoming battle….


	16. East Meets West Act 3

ACT 3 

The five members of Titans East froze at the sight of their new opponents, who entered the room quietly, without uttering a word, their eyes glaring menacingly in red.

"Robin?" Speedy said with surprise.

"Er.………… por que son de los malos" Mas Y Menos replied, just as shocked.

"Stay focused guys, for their sakes." Bumblebee said as she took out both her stinger weapons, "They saved us before, now its time to return the favour."

"And now for the moment we've all been waiting for." Blood grinned, eyeing both teams profusely, and rubbing his hands together in anticipation of the event that was about to take place.

"Oh Tiiiitans….." He almost sung those words out, then pointed a menacing robotic hand towards Titans East.

Robin pulled out two bo staffs, twirling them skillfully as he brought himself to a combat pose. Starfire took to the skies, both her hands and eyes lit up in green energy. Raven followed suit, charging up her black chakra, while Beast Boy transformed into a red eyed T-rex.

"GO!" 

The four Titans attacked, Robin threw three explosive discs at Titans East while Raven and Starfire blasted at them with equal ferocity.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO POR QUE!"

"Titans East! Scatter!" Bumblebee shouted, and the five Titans jumped out of the way, avoiding a the discs which exploded into a pillar of flames, soon wrapped with Starbolts and black energy.

Blood watched the fiery battle with grim satisfaction. "Ah I've always wanted to say that……." he chuckled to himself.

The Titans soon found their own opponents, Beast Boy went straight for Aqualad, transforming into a poison cobra and spitting poison out in a deadly strike.

Aqualad, surprised at seeing the spitting cobra, instantly threw up a wall of water in front of him, stopping the venom in it's tracks.

"Didn't know Beast Boy could do that." Aqualad took the time to catch his breath, only to have a green T-rex explode through his wall of water, its sharp teeth looking to rip Aqualad in half.

"Beast Boy! It's me, Aqualad! Talk to me!" Aqualad shouted as created a pillar of water from the floor, helping him jump up to avoid Beast Boy's lunge.

Beast Boy merely growled back in reply, transforming into hawk and diving straight at Aqualad.

Brother Blood meanwhile, watched the fight with glee, pondering to himself.

"Hmm, maybe it should be titans…annihilate?" The supervillain experimented, then decided that it didn't matter. "Oh well. Crush them just the same." He gripped his hand into a fist.

Mas Y Menos took on Starfire and Raven, who double teamed the twins. Starfire took to the skies, firing her starbolts in a vain attempt to hit them, but Mas Y Menos were too quick, zigzagging on the ground to avoid each blast.

Starfire then tried the direct approach, landing, she punched Mas Y Menos, only to end up having her fist dug into the concrete wall.

A piece of electronic equipment detached from the wall nearby, shrouded in black energy. Moments later, it was propelled towards the speed duo. Raven was surprised to find that they ran towards Starfire instead, dodging the projectile in the process.

Mas Y Menos hugged Starfire's feet.

"Por favor! No nos obliga pelear! Senorita Starfire!" The twins begged, Starfire tried to punch them, but they let go just as fast.

Mas Y Menos unknowingly avoiding another blast from Raven, then zoomed to Starfire's side.

"No nos gusta pelearte!" They tugged her arm.

Starfire gave no reply, instead, she punched down to knock the twins off her feet. Mas Y Menos however, kept their speed up and disappeared from her feet, ending up on her shoulders, hugging her face.

Raven meanwhile, levitated another computer console, throwing it straight at Mas Y Menos.

"Por Favor!"

Starfire's eye lasers began heating up now, and Mas Y Menos decided it was too hot to stay on the Titan, they quickly zoomed away. Starfire's eye blast ended up blowing the computer Raven threw at them, destroying it in a powerful explosion that threw everyone back.  
Raven and Starfire coughed through the smoke, while Mas Y Menos gathered in front of the two Titans.

"No puedamos ser amigos?" The twins almost went on their knees as they pleaded with Raven and Starfire.

Raven and Starfire didn't reply, instead, both their eyes glowed with Black and Green energy.

The twins sidestepped quickly, avoiding Starfire's eye laser beams as they cut a path through the floor. They sped away again, dodging a black claw that emerged from the floor.

The two twins reappeared on top of a crate in front of the two titans. 

"De lo doloremos." Mas Y Menos said sadly, "pero tenemos que pelear!"

Mas Y Menos raised their index fingers now, releasing a bit of cackling energy as they touched. In that instant, the speed freaks went into top gear. They ran, stirring up dust from the floor in their wake as they attacked Raven, kicking her back.

Raven stumbled back a few feet, giving Starfire room to fly straight at the two twins.

Mas Y Menos split up, letting go of each other and letting Starfire fly through.

Before Mas Y Menos could come back together however, columns of rock and earth began shooting up from the floor, all shrouded in Raven's energy.

"Aycaramba!" The twins shouted nervously as they kept running, eventually making it back to each other and joining hands.

Starfire took to the skies in front of the twins now, charging both her hands with starbolts.

The twins grinned, knowing they would easily dodge whatever Star threw at them.

"Mas Y Menos! Si podemos!"

The smile quickly disappeared from their faces, when they realized they weren't moving.

"¿Eh? ¿qué está sucediendo?"

They looked down, and saw that their feet being grabbed by black claws that protruded from the ground.

Starfire meanwhile, closed in for the kill. She gathered a large starbolt, the size of a basketball in her hands, as time passed, Starfire added more energy to it, making it grow several times its size, until she finally lifted the gigantic green starbolt over her head.

Starfire threw the Starbolt, and Mas Y Menos had no way of dodging it, Raven had pinned them down.

The twins, grunting with strain as they tried to get loose, had only enough time to say the only English they've learned so far.

"Oh. Poop." The twins then disappeared into a blinding green flash, a large explosion rocked the room where the other Titans were fighting.

Speedy and Robin exchanged blows, the archer used his bow to parry both of Robin's bo staffs. The boy wonder was fast, after the bo staff swung down, Robin released a flurry of kicks at Speedy.

With a reflex almost as quick Robin's Speedy brought his bow up, blocking Robin's foot just inches from his face. Before Speedy had anytime to gloat, his feet were already being tripped by the bo staff.

Looks like being mind controlled didn't affect any of Robin's insane skills.

Speedy huffed, dodging another one of Robin's bo staff lunges.

"Come on Robin, I know you can do better than this." Speedy smirked.

The boy wonder did not reply, instead, he threw one of his bo staffs straight at Speedy, while at the same time, charging towards him.

Speedy grinned, he knew this move, the bo staff was a distraction, while Robin's punch would be the real threat.

The archer strung up two arrows onto his bow, firing one straight at the bo staff. The two projectiles exploded as they collided in mid air, throwing up a small blanket of smoke that obscured everything.

Speedy then ducked under Robin's punch, taking his second arrow and stabbing it into the ground.

The arrow head exploded, turning the floor around Robin into a sheet of ice.

Robin slipped, but instead of falling, he turned his fall into a backflip, landing on his feet within seconds.

"I see you still got it." Speedy pulled three more arrows onto his bow, while Robin took out two birdarangs, combining them into a sword.

"Let's dance."

Speedy fired two arrows, which were quickly sliced in two as Robin cut them in midair. Before the third one could even be fired, Robin was already beside him, holding the sword back for a quick lunge.

Speedy sidestepped to avoid the stab, but received a kick in the chest as a reward.

This sent the archer back a few steps, giving Robin an opening to deliver the killing blow.

Speedy however, was just as fast, and both he and Robin locked swords and bows, leaning into each other's face.

"Glad to see you haven't gotten rusty." Speedy paid Robin the compliment, even though he made no reply, instead, he ducked down to swipe Speedy's feet with a kick, but the archer back flipped, throwing his arrow at Robin as he was in mid air.

Robin hit the arrow with his sword, which turned out to be a freeze exploding arrow. Robin's sword was quickly frozen solid.

The boy wonder dropped the sword however, and in the same motion reached for three freeze discs, throwing them all at Speedy.

Two of the discs exploded feet behind Speedy, creating a sheet of ice in the place he was about to land on, while the third hit the Archer himself, in mid air. Speedy grunted as ice covered his body, then he landed straight into the ice sheet, sliding into a wall.

"No! I won't let you do this." Cyborg pulled at his restraints even harder, a few bolts were loosening, but they still pinned him down. 

"Oh come now Cyborg, take this moment to enjoy the show." Brother Blood turned to Cyborg now, talking casually as if the huge fight behind him wasn't happening. "After all, this will be the last time you'll ever see your friends in action again."

"Hey Blood!" A voice appeared out of nowhere, causing the super villain to turn.

Blood turned, just in time to see a barrage of yellow electric blasts heading straight for his face.

Brother Blood gave a smile, easily brushing aside the blasts that did hit him, the others landed around the villain, destroying the computer console around him as well as leaving several scorch marks on the floor.

"Surely, you can do better than that Bumblebee." Brother Blood said disappointingly.

"I wasn't aiming for you 'Bro'." Bumblebee smirked, twirling her stingers and placing them at her sides.

"What?" Blood turned, and was rewarded by a giant metallic fist punching him in the face.

Blood flew several meters away, hitting chang and knocking the villain out cold, as well as destroying the computer console that the professor was working on. Sparks began flying, then the computers exploded into a cloud of smoke, obscuring that part of the room.

Blood grunted, pulling himself up to see the silouette of Cyborg through the smoke.

"Good as new." Cyborg grinned, rubbing his wrists then changing his hand into a sonic cannon. Bumblebee took her place, flying right above him.

"Looks like someone still has to learn his lesson." Blood gave a dark smile, his hands and eyes glowing in a menacing red, then in the same motion, he took off his robe, revealing his full cybernetic body armour, black and red with grey trims.

"You can't defeat, the Headmaster."

Blood yelled a charge, jumping into the air and slicing down with his cybernetic arm, its sharp fingers glowing with red aura.

Cyborg dove out of the way, letting Blood impale his hand into the concrete. The villain was fast, however, and when Cyborg turned around with his charged cannon, Blood had already attacked, a red energy shock from the villain's hands sent Cyborg flying back into a wall.

"Cyborg!" Bumblebee took out both her stingers, making a straight dive for Brother Blood.

Only to be intercepted by a punch in her face.

"You don't have time to help anyone." Jinx's eyes glowed maliciously as she waved her hands in the air, a stream of hex energy flowing from her palms. The two girls charged at each other, firing a flurry of stinger blasts and hex waves at each other.

Cyborg and Brother Blood meanwhile, faced off on the control platform.

"Now really Cyborg…do you think to win this time?"

"I _know_ I can." Cyborg cracked his knuckles.  
"Ah…..a pity, looks like we'll have to do this lesson, the hard way." Blood charged Cyborg now, a sphere of red energy forming at his palms. The villain lunged hitting Cyborg in the face with amazing speed.

This sent the mechanical Titan reeling back several feet on the floor, leaving him open for a series of energy blasts that exploded on contact with his armour.

Cyborg raised his arms to protect his face, his view was now obscured by the smoke from the small explosions.

Blood didn't waste any time, before Cyborg could even say anything, a cold metal hand gripped his wrist, pulling his arm aside, and when the smoke cleared, Brother Blood's face appeared, and next to it, Cyborg saw that his arm had turned into a sonic cannon.

With a smile, Blood fired his weapon, which released a red sonic blast.

Cyborg gasped, thrown back against a wall. He gave Blood a surprised look.

"Why so surprised Cyborg?" Blood gave a satisfied smirk, his energy weapon still smoking from the blast, until he transformed it back into his hand. "It is your technology."

Cyborg didn't reply. Blood had gotten stronger than last time, if that was even possible.

Brother Blood smiled, sweeping his hand down to create a shockwave across the floor, headed straight for Cyborg.

The Titan grunted, gathered himself and jumped above the wave, turning both his hands into sonic cannons, firing in mid air.

The two beams mixed, creating a devastating swirl that hit Brother Blood head on, a brilliant flash of blue light temporarily filled the room, followed by the loud roar of an explosion.

Cyborg landed, and through the smoke, he saw Blood's shadow, still standing.

The villain smiled.

"Enough fun and games my student, time for you to repeat the Hive Academy." 

In that instant, Blood looked as though he disappeared, charging Cyborg at great speeds, and pinning Cyborg's arms against the wall with both of his glowing red hands.

"After a few modifications that is, I will do you the favour of removing that robotic shell that we both so detest."

Blood smiled, putting his index and middle finger together and charging it with his red aura, like he was going to use his fingers as a sharp knife.

"Consider this a final gift Cyborg, between a rebellious student and his teacher, before I turn you into my pawn."

Blood lunged, aiming straight for Cyborg's power core in the center of his chest. The hit would shut down Cyborg's systems, leaving him defenseless during the operation.

The villain's stab however, was cut short, as Cyborg used his free hand to grab Blood's wrist, stopping him just inches from his target.

"No……..I won't let you." Cyborg gave a determined reply, trying to force Blood's hand back.

Blood merely gave a laugh. "Come now Cyborg, don't tell me you suddenly developed a liking for your….. condition." The villain talked casually, almost oblivious to the fact that he was locked in a death struggle with Cyborg.

"If it allows me to beat you, I can deal with it." Cyborg grunted.

Blood chuckled. "Didn't I already tell you? You can't defeat the headmaster Cyborg." Blood's eyes glowed red.

The villain increased the pressure, and slowly, but surely, his cybernetic hand got closer to Cyborg's, inch by inch, and Cyborg found that he did not have the strength to overpower Blood.

The other Titans meanwhile, were about even. Aqualad had used his water to douse Raven to the ground, with barely enough time to block Starfire as she flew straight at him with both fists. Aqualad grabbed her fists, pushing forward, but Starfire was stronger, and the Atlantean found himself being forced back.

"A little help here!" Aqualad shouted as he saw Raven preparing for another attack.

"You think you've got it bad? Even when he's mind controlled this guy still thinks three steps ahead." Speedy complained, taking a red arrow from his bag and stabbing it down into the ice that was keeping him trapped. Within seconds his icy prison exploded, freeing him to face Robin, dual-wielding two bo staffs.

"¡Ayuda! ¡Ayuda! ¡Funcionamiento lejos! ¡monstruo grande!" Mas Y Menos shouted in panic as they swerved to avoid Beast Boy's huge T-Rex stomp, which shook the very ground

Bumblebee grunted, using her arms to block two waves of hex energy that exploded on her. She fired more stingers at Jinx, but the Hive Member skillfully cartwheeled her way out of the blasts' path.

Before Bumblebee could even react, Jinx was already too close, she switched her cartwheel into a kick, pushing her hands onto the ground and planting her feet right up Bumblebee's chin.

The Titan fell back on the floor, wiping her bruised chin as she saw Jinx standing triumphantly over her.

"Looks like you're getting your butts kicked." Jinx taunted, then she jerked her head towards the other members of Titans East, who were losing their battle with the original titans, slightly.

Bumblebee however, was looking at something else, Cyborg was losing his battle with Blood, and the villain was preparing to stab into his chest.

She had to do something fast….

But what?

Then it hit her.

Bumblebee grinned.

"Yea, well take a look at what Blood is doing. He's replacing you." Bumblebee smirked.

"What?" Jinx gave a surprised reply.

"Don't you remember what Blood said? About his _new_ Hive Team?" Bumblebee grinned again.

"Blood is just using your friends," Jinx said reassuringly "and he could care less about your team."

"Looks like we have one thing in common already." Bumblebee replied.

"Looks like we're not the only dropouts."

**------**

"No…" Cyborg's voice was full of strain, as he tried to use all the strength in his arm to repel the supervillain, but it was doing nothing.

"Come now Cyborg, you should be happy with what I am offering you, a chance to be a human again, with the help of your friends." The villain's eyes glared in red energy.  
"I'll never take any help from you!"

"Ah..but you see Cyborg. You don't have a choice in the matter." Blood had enough time playing now, he used his full strength, easily overpowering Cyborg's cybernetic arms. The steel tip of his fingers was so close to breaking Cyborg's armour…just a few more inches……almost an inch……..

Two blasts knocked Brother Blood away from Cyborg, and the villain gave a surprised scream as he fell onto his back.

He looked up, and saw the silhouettes of two people, one of them was a Hive Member.

"You think these pipsqueaks can replace the HIVE five? Well you've got another thing coming. _Headmaster._"

"You insignificant insects!" Blood snarled, then he charged Jinx, stabbing at her with his power, only to be shot at by Bumblebee's stinger.

Blood brushed the stinger blast aside, then counterattacked with another shockwave at Bumblebee, but that was intercepted by Jinx's blast.

The two girls jumped, both of them landing a kick on Brother Blood's chest before he had any time to recover.

The villain recoiled back in pain, growling with anger. "That's it! You're all expelled!" His fists were glowing with red energy now, and he fired two more shockwaves at the girls.

Jinx and Bumblebee smirked, side stepping to avoid the shockwave, before proceeding to pummel Blood with a flurry of yellow stinger blasts and purple hexes. The villain screamed as he found he did not have enough time to block all of them, and the wall of energy blasts eventually forced Blood back, temporarily phasing him.

"Hey Blood." A voice came from behind him.

Blood turned, just in time to see Cyborg's hand coming straight at him, but only this time, Cyborg's hand wasn't curled into a fist, his two fingers were up, stabbing forward like a knife.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Blood yelled, just as Cyborg's finger pierced Blood's chest armour, and his power core.

"What……how is this possible?" Blood reeled back, shocked by the vulnerability of his robot shell.

"35 weak points," Cyborg tapped his head, "looks like when you built your Cybernetic body to copy mine, you built them there as well."  
Blood snarled, charging both his hands to preparing to attack.

"And I just hit the most important one."

Blood's energy began fading now, and the super villain gave a horrified look as he found out that he was losing control of his arms. Soon the red energy faded, and Blood's arms hung down from his body, there was no life in them.

"No! You will not get away with this Cyborg……..I will…….Haaaave……my…..revenge………." Blood's voice slowed down, just like a computer when it was crashing, until finally, the villain was shut down, literally.

The other Titans stopped fighting now, Blood's mind control was gone.

"Um.. Raven? What are we doing here?" Starfire asked.

"I don't know…." The sorceress replied.

"Hey! Can you at least let me down from here!"

The two girls looked up now, and saw that Aqualad was dangling from the rooftop, upside down, from chains.

"Someone's got some explaining to do." Robin said as he put away his weapons, to the relief of Speedy.

Beast Boy, in his T-rex form, looked confused as he took in his surroundings, then he began hearing some very familiar voices…..inside…..

He widened his eyes.

"PLUEH!" The T-rex spat, and out came two saliva soaked and angry Spanish Twins.

"No puedo creer que él nos comió..." Mas gave a sickened look on his face.

"muy oscuro……… muy mojado…….muy malo….." Menos repeated blankly, almost hauntingly, he looked as if he had just been to hell and back.

**------**

"So…Blood controlled all of us from the start?" Robin said with disapproval in his voice.

"Happens to the best of us man." Cyborg said reassuringly.

"So…..what's to stop him from doing the same thing as last time? He's too dangerous to keep in jail." Aqualad said seriously.

"Already got it covered." Cyborg smirked. "Since he made himself into a cyborg, half his brain is mechanic, I just inserted a computer program into his brain, to help suppress his mind control powers. He won't be able to sweet talk anyone from now on."

"Great job Sparky." Bumblebee gave a thumbs up.

"Ugh….this is so…difficult…….the last thing I remember was going out on my midnight dessert run." Beast Boy poked at his head to try and remember. "Then the next thing I remember, was red eyes."

"We're never letting Beast Boy go out for midnight dessert again." Raven replied, slightly annoyed.

"Hey! How was I supposed to know he was there? He was in jail!"

"Yea….that would be our fault." Bumblebee replied.

"si………." Mas Y Menos said sadly.

"We've been thinking a lot lately guys. We don't know if this team thing is really working out for us." Speedy replied quietly, leaning against the wall next to the conference table.

"Yeah, we haven't really been doing our part to be called Titans. So that's why we've deceided. We're disbanding." Aqualad finished it off.

Starfire, Raven and Beast Boy widened their eyes at this.

"Dude are you nuts!"

"Then who shall we call upon when we desire aid?" Starfire said with concern.

"A defeat is a defeat, you just have to learn from it." Raven replied sympathetically.

Robin and Cyborg however, stepped up.

"Look ya'll." The robotic titan began. "Me and Robin have talked this thing through already. At first, we had our doubts, but you guys really have what it takes to be a team. Sure it may be a little rough around the edges but from what I've seen today. I have no doubt you can handle whatever is in Steel City. So as far as I'm concerned, You're all official Titans."

"You mean it?" Bumblebee, and the rest of Titans East gave a surprised look.

"Yep." Robin nodded. "Good to have another team around." He extended his hand to Bumblebee, who shook it.

"Gracias Senor! Gracias!" Mas Y Menos cheered.

"Um….Sorry to interrupt, but what about her?" Beast Boy jerked a thumb to the corner of the room, where Jinx stood silently.

"If you think I'm going in, you've got another thing coming." The Hive Member replied defiantly.

"Sorry, but you're a criminal." Robin replied sternly.  
"Come on man! She just saved my butt! Can't you at least give her a second chance?"

"She's had plenty of chances." Robin replied.

Just then however, the tower began rumbling, and just as before, the windows were blasted open, to reveal the Hive five.

Or….what was the Hive Five. Mammoth looked beat up and tired, Seemore's eye goggles were broken, and Private Hive had no shield. Gizmo's robotic limbs looked like they were were on their last legs.

"Alright scum-wads! Prepare to surrender to the Hive Five!" Gizmo shouted out loud.

The Hive Five cheered, that is…until they realized that the original Team of Titans were in the room as well, so they were outnumbered two to one.

The two groups of Titans got into a battle stance, and within seconds, the blood drained from all of the Hive Members' faces.

"Uh…..Hive Five…..RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" Gizmo screamed, jumping back out through the hole the hive team just made in the walls, the other four followed suit, screaming all the way as they fell into the icy cold sea.

Jinx took her time, walking slowly towards the window where her teammates had jumped through.

"Well it's been fun guys, I'll see you back in Jump City."

"You sure Jinx?" Cyborg stepped forward. "You know, for a Hive Member, you sure kick butt when you're a good guy."

"Flattering Cyborg, but I have my own team." She pointed down towards the four Hive Members, who were struggling to swim away from the tower.   
"Guess its goodbye then."

"Don't think I'll go easy on you next time we meet." Jinx replied back.

"Never crossed my mind." Cyborg grinned, and watched as Jinx jumped out the window, escaping with her teammates.

"So….uh, do we just let them get away?" Beast Boy asked in confusion.

"Nah….we can afford to give them a head start." Robin smiled, planting his feet on the table. "Besides…it's a long swim to Jump City."

"So….Who's up for a party?" Cyborg pressed a button now, and suddenly the room's lights dimmed, a crystal ball lowering from the ceiling and filling the room with sparkles of light.

"Let us commence the digging!" Starfire grinned, then pulled Robin to the dance floor. The rest of the Titans joined in.

**------**

From outside the tower, the sounds of music and dancing were heard….among other things

_"Ay Ay! Senorita Starfire! Mira que habemos aprendido de Sr. Cyborg! AHEM…… Aug lobnarg zon flooglebork Vardolsnetch!"_

_"Did you just call me a Vardolsnetch!" Starfire replied with a hint of outrage._

_"Ummm…..VIVA SENORITA STARFIRE!"_

_**EL FINAL XD**(End of Ep 4)_


	17. Cursed Act 1

**Episode 5 - Cursed**

The sun went down over a quiet city as evening approached, covering everything in black. The darkness quickly subsided as a cascade of lights began appearing in the city, until finally, the entire city resembled a skyline of brilliant flashing white, under a pale dark blue sky. A gentle summer breeze blew through the bay of Jump City, causing small waves to roll onto the island where Towers Tower stood.

It was another movie night for the Titans and the regular routine followed, Cyborg went into the kitchen, fixing up hug bucket loads of butter and popcorn. Starfire brought the 'beverages', huge containers of mustard that she happily consumed with Silkie, along with plates of her signature homemade glorg, which sat grotesquely on the table, always moving as if it were alive.

Robin minded his own businesses, and sat on the couch while the rest of his hyperactive teammates ran around the room preparing everything. A leader wasn't needed when it came to a movie night, and so he took this time to relax.

It took only a few minutes for everything to get ready, and when the Titans all sat down on the couch, Beast Boy revealed the night's feature presentation new movie.

"Sorry Raven, nothing scary this time," Beast Boy snickered at the Titan, "but I did get a sweet deal on the classic re-release of Warp Trek five!"

A series of groans flew across the room, Robin and Cyborg both wiped their faces with their hands.

"Do you have any idea how old that thing is B? That must be the fifth 'new' release I've seen."

"But this one is digitally remastered!" Beast Boy countered passionately. "besides, it's a classic." He held the DVD in front of his face with awe. "It's timeless."

"I don't care how 'digitally remastered' it looks B, it's the same boring thing every time!"

"I am confused, is it an Earth custom to purchase several copies of the same movie again? When it is…'re-released'?"

Robin sighed, he didn't really care actually, a movie was just a movie. He sat back and watched as Cyborg and Beast Boy yelled at each other incoherently, while Starfire tried to but into their argument with curious questions.

"Sounds good." Raven gave a smile.

The rest of the Titans stopped what they were doing, instantly, they all turned to give Raven an odd look, as if she had suddenly sprouted horns.

"What?" Raven asked casually, not minding the fact that her teammates were staring oddly at her.

"Ah, nothing Rae." Cyborg gave his head a pat.

"Sorry Raven, just that the last time you were this happy, well….."

"Yea, yea, I know." Raven smirked. "So what? That's over, it doesn't make any difference now. Let's just enjoy the show. Beast Boy?" 

"Uh….Ok." Beast Boy said dumbfoundedly as he played the movie, the rest of the Titans, deciding that they were worrying too much back there, sat back and relaxed.

**------**

A huge chorus of laughter suddenly broke out over the tower as the movie ended, with Cyborg and Beast Boy making peace as they joined together to laugh at the horrendously outdated movie.

"I've seen better." Raven said smugly, then joined in the laughing.

"Oh…man." Cyborg laughed. "Did you see the way they walked back then? And the costumes!"

"I still can't believe the captain could eat that Space slug pie his crew baked for him." Beast Boy grinned.

"Yes, even I thought that was unpleasant." Starfire gave a sick look for a second there, but then suddenly, her face lightened up as she saw plates of her uneaten glorg just sitting there. "So. Who is in desire of some glorg?" She held the half dozen plates along her arms and offered them amiably to her friends.

The other titans stopped laughing now, all of them staring ominously at the small intestines that wriggled inside the Tamaranian dish.

"Well….I uh…don't know Starfire…" Robin said nervously.

"I think Beast Boy wants some." Raven said cheerfully, and no sooner did she say that, than did a black shroud wrap around one of Starfire's glorg platters, sending it straight at Beast Boy's face. The green titan gave a shrill-like scream just as the glorg collided with his face, splattering its viscous contents all over his face.

"BLEH!" Beast Boy spat. "Ooo…you're going to pay for that Raven." The green titan grinned, transforming into an octopus and swiping three plates from Starfire, throwing them all at Raven.

Raven gave a small laugh, ducking out of the way so that the plates of Glorg hit Cyborg, covering him in a blanket of thick green slime.

"You know what this means B….." Cyborg said with a ferocious anger.

"Food fight!" Beast boy shouted, grabbing as many plates of Glorg as he could, hurling them both at Raven and Cyborg, while the Robotic Titan fought back.

"I do not understand," Starfire replied as tons of her Glorg was thrown around the room, covering the couch and anyone hit in green-yellow goop. "is this another earthly way of ingesting food?"

"No Star, it's called a food fight." Robin replied, grinning as he pulled Starfire into the fray.

The fight went on for about ten minutes, and Raven enjoyed every second of it.

It was a wonderful feeling, to let all restraint and caution loose and set her emotions free, to never worry about meditation or controlling herself. She felt a lightness, as if she was flying, a great burden lifted from her soul. It was a sweet freedom, and she treasured it, the freedom to laugh, dance, sing, without having to worry about her powers. It was bliss, and everything felt like it would work out for the best.

And yet, there were even more feelings around her, feelings that she hadn't experienced before, a slight warm fuzziness that seemed to envelop every part of her.

She watched Robin now, who skillfully knocked Cyborg and Beast boy off their feet with two accurately thrown slices of Glorg, while Starfire joined in, taking a giant platter and hovering above the two distraught boys.

Robin…….he the one who went out of his way to save her. Even though it had all passed, she still wanted to thank him, for being a good friend? Or was there something more to this feeling? It was too confusing for her. He did everything in his power to help me, when I lost all hope, that must mean something more…. Must it?.

Raven shook her head now, she was mixed up, there was plenty of time to sort things out. Yet, all these emotions, all this freedom, it was all so new to her, so overwhelming.

The food fight ended quietly, with the Titans sharing some laughs before heading off to bed. Beast Boy and Cyborg grumbled, having lost the fight, while Raven went to her room to sleep.

**------**

Something was bothering Raven, she could not quite put her finger on it, but something didn't seem right as she slept during the night.

_Something was in the room. A thing from nightmares. Black Tentacles, thousands of them completely filled that corner of the room. Some even stretched into the walls, their shadows steadily entroaching on light while at the source of all this, was the demon. That tall misshapen thing that came from darkest depths of nightmares. _

_The black mass at a man now, and he screamed, running and firing his lasers as he fled. The light was simply absorbed into the dark matter. No explosions, no electricity._

_"Stay back! I'm warning you!"_

Raven felt a slight pain in her head, she tossed and turned.

_"You can't be doing this….no…. NO!" This last imprecation was due to the fact that the shadows were wrapping around his legs, and with a powerful pull, he was dragged into the darkness of Raven's cape._

_"WATCH ME."_

_The screams were quickly cut off by another more urgent voice._

_"Raven!" _

_Raven………._

A small chill ran down Raven's spine, the second voice was hauntingly familiar

_Raven…….._

_The screams grew louder now, until they finally stopped, cut dead by the darkness which engulfed its victim._

Raven shot straight up from her bed, gasping as if she had just been through a marathon. She almost wanted to scream, just as the person in his vision screamed. A nightmare….just a nightmare. And yet, it was so hauntingly familiar. She began to slow down her breath now, feeling the heart rate go down. A few drops of sweat began running down her face.

What caught her attention however, was the room around her, everywhere, all around her, there was fire. Flames had swirled around her bed, burning up sheets, books, statues, chests, even the very floor. The smell of burning ash filled the air, and before Raven knew it, the flames had gone out by themselves, leaving her room a charred and barren wasteland.

She took a look at her arm now, saw that there were no signs, no marks. But still, something didn't feel right.

"What's….happening to me?"

(Fade to song)  
**------**

**_When there's trouble you know who to call _**  
**_Teen Titans! _**  
**_From their tower, they can see it all _**  
**_Teen Titans! _**

**_When there's evil on the attack _**  
**_You can rest knowing they got your back _**  
**_'Cuz when the world needs heroes on patrol _**  
**_Teen Titans GO! _**

**_With their superpowers they unite _**  
**_Teen Titans! _**  
**_Never met a villain that they liked _**  
**_Teen Titans! _**

**_They've got the bad guys on the run _**  
**_They never stop 'till the job gets done _**  
**_'Cuz when the world is losin' all control _**  
**_Teen Titans GO! _**

**_1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. Go! _**  
**_Teen Titans! _**

**------**

Morning had arrived, and the city had woken up to a new day. Birds chirped, People went outdoors, and A bright yellow sun hovered above the tower in the clear blue sky.

Somewhere, a rooster was crowing from the rooftop, making a loud noise that reverberated through the tower. It was Beast Boy, most likely making as much ruckus as he can to wake everyone else up.

Raven however, was up for most of the night, going through what was left of her books to find out what was going on.

Something was causing her power to go astray when she slept, it wasn't lack of meditation. Trigon's banishment from her mind took care of that. Indeed, aside from being free to express emotion, Raven also found that her powers now required almost no maintenance, she could effortlessly control and use her powers without worrying about shockwaves or repercussions. She didn't need to meditate anymore.

Then why didn't it seem right?

She stood there now, a circle of books floating around her, each one suspended and waiting its turn for its manipulator to read it. 

Another wave of a hand sent a large text back to the shelf, more books went in front of Raven, their pages flipping as the sorceress tried her best to find out what the cause of her nightmares were. Perhaps Raven still needed some meditation, and that the nightmares were just byproducts of her powers being unrestrained for the first time? In that case, it was a simple solution, perhaps some meditation, not as much as last time, but some, would do.

Raven closed her books, deciding she was looking too much into the matter. She took a deep, relaxing breath.

Maybe I'm just over thinking this, she thought. In any case, if these nightmares were the price she had to pay for her newfound freedom, she would gladly pay it. She did not have to worry anymore about the dark side of her powers, nor did she have to wake up each day knowing that each morning would bring her closer to the date when the world would be cast into flame by her.

The past was dead, and she intended to keep it that way. Raven closed her book, levitating it back to the bookcase.

A knock came from the door at that moment, and Raven pulled her hood back on and went for the door.

It was Starfire.

"I am sorry if I am interrupting your meditation Raven, but I wish to know if you would like to join us for breakfast today. Cyborg has been kind enough to make us those sweet tiny little wheels that are delightful to taste."

Raven rolled her eyes. Donuts.

"Don't worry about it Starfire, I don't need to meditate anymore." Raven said lightly as she opened the door, to see a smiling and excited Starfire clasping her hands together and smiling with joy.

"If you do not meditate anymore, then perhaps we can spend more time at the mall of shopping?" she said excitedly.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." A light smile went on Raven's face. "So…about that breakfast…."

"OH yes!" Starfire excitedly tugged at Raven's arm with an death grip that could crush a steel bar. "We must hurry before Cyborg and Beast Boy ingest all the sweet food!" With that, Starfire flew, pulling Raven behind her.

"You know Starfire," Raven gave a nervous look as she felt Starfire crushing her arm. "I can just teleport us to the kitchen." 

**------**

"Don't worry about it Rae, this time, Chef Cy's got the grub covered!" Cyborg grinned at Raven as he put an inflated chef's hat on. Then he turned to the stove, whistling a tune as he began flipping pancakes, and checking the oven for the donuts.

"Glad to know." Raven replied, then settled down at the table to read her book, while Starfire joined 

"So dudes, anyone up for some early morning tofu?" Beast Boy shouted as he jumped into a chair, with slices of tofu bacon sizzling on the plate in front of him.

"Err…no thanks." Robin shifted slightly away from Beast Boy, the smell of tofu was overpowering in that part of the room.

"I'd rather eat some of Starfire's glorg supreme." Raven said dryly.

"OOOH, delightful Raven! Because I have just finished cooking!" The table shook violently as Starfire slammed a huge plate of purple gunk on the table. The Tamaranian's strength was too much, causing all the dishes, food, and drinks to fly.

Maybe…I spoke too soon. Raven sighed.

"Tea will do." Raven smiled as she magically levitated a teapot and cup next to her, calmly sipping the cup while the rest of the Titans reeled at Starfire's glorg. Cyborg joined in at that moment, pounding on mountains of donuts and pancakes to the table.

Raven continued sipping quietly, smiling as she watched the rest of the table dissolve into chaos. The calm within the storm of pancakes, donuts and purple slime.

**------**

After breakfast, the rest of the titans broke off and did their own thing, Cyborg went to fix his car, Beast Boy played his video games, while Robin was training in the gym. Starfire continued in the kitchen, making more of her famous glorg supreme for silkie. 

Raven, for the first time in a lot of months, found herself in the garage helping Cyborg with his car. With the freedom to express her emotions, she suddenly had this urge to connect closer to all of her friends, to make up for all the things she could not do as much with her previous powers.

Tools levitated throughout the garage, all of them filing together near the bottom of the car, where Cyborg's legs stretched out. Mechanical whirring and sawing sounds came from the bottom of the car, along with sparks. Next to Cyborg, also lying down, was Raven, who once again had her face covered in black smears of grease.

"Ok, I think I'll take a little break from under there." Cyborg took a rag and rubbed the grease from his robotic forehead.

"No problem Cy, but pass the wrench while you're at it." Raven muttered from underneath the car.

"Uh….sure." Cyborg said dumbfoundedly, grabbing one of the floating tools and handing to Raven. This new Raven thing was going to take some getting used to.

A few more sounds emerged from under the car, as Raven finished her work, emerging from the bottom of the car.

"There, all done." She got up, giving the hood a nice pat as Cyborg revved up the T-car from his arm control.

"Wow, Raven, my baby's purring like a kitten." Cyborg said, amazed at Raven's technical skills.

"My pleasure Cy." A smile lit up on Raven's face as she took the rag from Cyborg, wiping the black smears from her face.

**------**

Beast Boy was in the lounge as usual, playing that game he always played with Cyborg, those two giant hulking robots that always smashed each other for no reason. Raven watched curiously as Beast Boy played, as if he were entranced by the video game.

She said hi, but Beast Boy didn't reply, his eyes permanently glued to the tube.

Normally, Raven's emotional state only allowed her to interact with her teammates sparingly, the more she talked with her team, the more she felt or had fun, the more her powers would build up. Then, at the end of the day, she would need meditation to cleanse herself of the emotions and bring her power back under control.

But now, Raven was feeling adventurous, she had just spent some time helping Cyborg fix his car, and had fun, now maybe she could do it more than once in the same day?

She watched the game with curiosity, out of all the times she saw Beast Boy play, she never really took the time to think about what was so addicting about a video game.

"Beast Boy?"

"Sorry Raven! I'm on the final level of Atomic Robot Space Ninjas! It'll be a sec."

"Interesting," Raven replied. "what's the plot?"

"Shhhh…quiet, Beast Boy smash." Beast Boy said almost zombie-like, ferociously punching the buttons on the controller. After a few more seconds, the screen lit up, music flared and Beast Boy jumped up in triumph.

"Oh YEAH, Oh YEAH! Who's the greatest?" Beast Boy cheered, then realized Raven was in the room with him.

"So……uh….wanna try it out? I know you hated this but…."

"Sure B." Raven smiled, picking up a controller with her hand.

"So…..what's the point of this game?" Raven asked as she fumbled with the buttons on the controller.

"Just watch and learn." Beast Boy smirked, then tapped the controller. On screen, Beast Boy's green robot advanced, punching Raven's blue robot, which just stood there and took the punches, reeling back from all the blows.

"You didn't teach me any buttons."

"That's the beauty of it Rae, you just smash!" Beast Boy grinned.

"I have a better idea in mind." Raven smirked, her eyes glowing with white magic. Moments later, the green robot on the screen ceased to move, its fist stopping just inches from Raven's robot. Afterwards, the robot began punching a new target, itself. Hammering away at its own skull until it's head exploded, flying off screen.

Raven chuckled, this _was_ fun.

"Hey!" Beast Boy complained. "I want a rematch."

"If you want." The sorceress replied casually.

**------**

Several more rounds later, Beast Boy looked at the screen in disbelief, his robot was totaled for the fifth time, and Raven's android stood victoriously over the smoking remains of Beast Boy's green android. 

"Did anyone hear a bell? Because somebody's getting schooled." Raven replied with her usual dry wit.

Beast Boy groaned. Great. Another person besides Cyborg who could beat him at video games.

"How do you do it?"

"I'm just randomly pressing buttons, because I have no clue what they do." Raven shrugged.

"But I do that too!" Beast Boy shouted in confusion.

"Guess I have a knack for it." Raven smiled, shrugged, then went to the gym, while Beast Boy continued playing, he played with a new determination now. I can take Cyborg beating me….heck I can even take Robin…but Raven beating me in video games? I DON'T THINK SO!

The Changling focused his eyes on the game now, playing even harder than before.

**------**

Robin trained just as ferociously in the gym, punching and kicking a punching bag that swung back and forth from the blows, a series of grunts and swings were heard from outside the gym door. 

Raven walked down the hall, wondering what to do when she went in.

Although there was no longer the burden of her powers on her, she felt another burden, one that was harder to explain, yet it was still there. With all her emotions, she felt another one she hadn't felt. It was something she wanted to tell Robin, and the very thought of it made her feel happier, but for some reason it was hard to do in real life. Every step she took towards the room was harder than the last.

Raven wanted to punch herself for being so stupid. Was she thinking straight? After all, this feeling had only come recently, as Trigon's power was receding. Or perhaps that feeling was there all along?

She knew about him, she knew about Starfire. But she also knew everything Robin had done for her. How he risked everything, his life, his friends, to save her. She thanked him, she felt gratitude, but the thing she was feeling now, it was more than just simple gratitude. 

It must mean something more, it has to. She was certain. 

She stopped outside the door, heard Robin kicking one of those wooden targets in the room. Raven stepped closer to the door, moving her hand to try and open it.

For some reason though, she found herself hesitating, it was like some invisible force was sticking her to the ground. Am I afraid?

It was too confusing, why was she afraid? Yet at the same time, she felt as though she couldn't go on without telling Robin what she felt. 

"Hello? Someone there?" Robin stopped punching, holding the bag still and looked at the door.

Raven cursed at herself, that boy can hear a pin drop a mile away with that ear. 

She had no choice now, and Raven opened the door, greeting Robin.

"Oh, hey Raven." Robin waved a greeting.

A strange joy was overcoming Raven, as if the fear she had felt just a second ago had disappeared.

"Hey." Raven replied, she secretly wanted to say more, she was angry at herself for the inadequate reply.

"So….what are you doing down here? I don't see you here often."

"Oh, well I just wanted to talk to you about something….." Raven answered calmly, although deep inside she had never felt so nervous in her life, her heart was beating so fast it felt like it was going out of her chest. What made it even more maddening was that Robin was so calm, so collected. 

"Sure, anything for a friend. Is there something wrong?" 

For a friend? Why didn't that sound right? She shook her head, working up whatever courage she had left to speak. 

"Well….I……" Raven spoke, the words almost choked her as they went through her mouth. No. She thought, I can't back out now. Not now. But it was like something was stopping her, some invisible force that just made her choke.

Before anything else happened however, Robin held up a hand.

"Just a sec." The boy wonder replied, reaching into his belt and pulling out a T communicator.

Not now….Raven thought.

"I'm sorry Raven, but it'll have to wait, looks like there's trouble." Robin replied, running out the room.

"Yeah……." Raven pulled her hood back on. She felt angry now, inadequate, but most of all, ashamed. She was too afraid. The familiar feeling was there now, the feeling of being trapped in a prison, where she knew what to feel, but could never find the words to express it to the people who mattered. It was frustrating, and maddening at the same time.

When would she ever get an opportunity like that again?

She shook her head, deciding to forget the moment, there was plenty of time to try again.

A black swirl of energy appeared around Raven, engulfing her before disappearing in the form of a black soul bird. 

**------**

Downtown Jump City was sprawling with activity now, it was rush hour, and the streets were jammed full of cars for as far as the eye could see. The cars weren't moving however, all of the drivers were leaving their cars, fleeing for their lives as cars were tossed into the air like toys.

Cinderblock growled, crushing a sports car beneath his concrete feet while lifting an SUV above his head. The brainless mass of rock looked around, saw police officers leaving their cars, firing their guns at him. He shrugged it off, nothing but puny pellets.

He turned to the policemen, giving a monstrous roar, then threw the SUV at the nearby police cruiser.

The officers fled, anticipating a giant explosion when the SUV hit, but to their surprise, the car stopped just inches in front of them, suspended in mid air. 

Cinderblock growled, turning around just in time to receive an SUV in the face. The car exploded on contact, engulfing the rock monster in a maelstrom of flame and wreckage.

When the smoke cleared, the monster saw Robin standing on top of one of the cars, his four teammates next to him. Beast Boy and Cyborg were on the ground, while Raven and Starfire were in the air.

"Titans Go!" Robin shouted, taking out three explosive discs and throwing them straight at the monster.

Cinderblock roared again, swiping aside the discs with his arm, which exploded as they hit the ground. By that time, Robin was already in front of Cinderblock's face, with two bo staff.

"Hyah!" Robin shouted, knocking Cinderblock in the face with the staffs. The large monster reeled back at this.

"T-rex take down!" Cyborg shouted that manuver again, jumping on Beast Boy's shoulders. Beast Boy dropped from Cy's weight, only to rise up again as he transformed into a T-rex. This time, Cyborg turned both his hands into sonic cannons, aiming them at Cinderblock.

The monster charged, taking the duo head on.

"Oh man! This is finally going to work. Boo-yah!" Cyborg yelled as he fired his sonic cannons at the rock monster, temporarily stopping him in his tracks. The lasers phased him, causing small explosions everytime they hit. With Cinderblock slowed down, Beast Boy roared, charging as a T-rex and tackling Cinderblock, knocking him against the side of a building.

The entire street shook as the weight of the two heavy combatants brushed against each other. Beast Boy swung his tail at Cinderblock, only to have the rock man grab it with surprising speed.

The changling's eyes widened for a second, just as Cinderblock took the Green T-rex's tail, then spun around, swinging the giant T-rex around the street in a giant circle, piling up cars and rubble in the street.

"WHOOA!" Cyborg screamed as he was thrown clear off Beast Boy, only to be caught by Starfire. The Tamaranian gave a smile as she placed her friend back onto the ground, then bolted straight at Cinderblock.

She swerved, narrowly missing Beast Boy, then punched Cinderblock in the stomach, causing him to fly back into a pile of cars.

Beast Boy, his tail free, transformed back to himself, his eyes still spinning from the dizziness. "Oh man….I shouldn't have eaten so much tofu bacon." He clasped his stomach.

He looked to his left, then quickly ducked, avoiding Starfire as she was thrown into another pile of cars by Cinderblock's massive punch. Her landing was not smooth, tearing a long trench in the concrete road before coming to a stop in a pile of cars, throwing up dust everywhere. One car, thrown up into the air by Starfire, landed right on Beast Boy.

Cinderblock gave a triumphant roar, then charged the two disabled Titans. Cyborg jumped into the air between the monster and his friends, firing his sonic cannon. 

Cinderblock however, was ready, and he hurled a car into the air, hitting Cyborg with a giant explosion before he even touched the ground.

Before the monster could even continue his run however, he found that both his feet were stuck to the ground, glued in place by the ice that now surrounded his legs.

Robin jumped in front of Cinderblock now, holding more freeze discs out, and throwing them over the rest of Cinderblock, covering him in ice. 

Cinderblock however, thought differently, with a roar, he broke his way out of the ice prison, shattering it into a million pieces and sending sharp shards into every direction.

Robin grunted, unable to avoid the sharp icicles, was thrown back onto the ground by the blast, all cut up and bruised.

Sensing his victory, Cinderblock charged, intending to finish the titans off once and for all.

"That's far enough." A dark voice echoed through the air.

Cinderblock turned around now, and saw a massive black shadow behind him. Before he could do anything, a surge of black magic swarmed him, engulfing him in a spiral of black flame. 

"You can do better than that." Raven smirked, floating right in front of the still-smoking Cinderblock. The enraged monster threw a punch, aimed straight at Raven. The sorceress did not try to dodge it, instead, she formed a black spiral of magic in front of her. Cinderblock's fist disappeared within the black portal, only to appear behind him, punching himself in the back of his neck. 

"Pathetic."

The monster growled now, more enraged than before. Raven floating in the air, preparing herself for the finishing move with her soul self. Already she was in a meditation position, levitating just in front of her enemy. A black shroud was already engulfing her very body.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zin-" Raven couldn't finish the spell. For some reason her soul self was not working, the dark magic around her body began cackling wickedly now, causing spasms of pain all over her. The black magic was slowly turning into red chakra.

"Ugh." Raven grunted, falling down onto the street, just as Cinderblock raised both his fists to crush her.

"Raven!" Robin shouted. This fight went on long enough. With his quick speed, he jumped on Cinderblock's head, a special disc in his hand. Wasting no time, he placed it on Cinderblock's noggin. A press of a button in the center of the disc caused the disc to extend four clamps from its body, digging itself into Cinderblock's skull.

Next Robin jumped off the monster, firing his grappling hook upwards and swinging low to swoop Raven away before the monster's punch landed on the street, throwing up blocks of concrete. At that moment, Robin's device went to work, sending a high intensity electric pulse through Cinderblock, causing him to convulse and throwing him into a screaming seizure. 

Eventually the monster slumped, his head still smoking from the shock, and he fell back.

"Are you ok?" Robin asked as he saw Raven trying to stand up.

"I'm fine Robin.". 

"What happened back there?" The boy wonder asked. 

"N…nothing. Just used a little too much power, that's all" Raven held her head for a moment, shaking it to get the dizziness out. What was that?

"Dudes! Look out!" Beast Boy's voice snapped Raven back to reality, and she looked up to see Cinderblock's still-towering figure behind Robin, his fists ready to flatten the boy wonder into the pavement. Robin turned, but found that there was no time to react, the monster was already punching down.

"NO!" Raven shouted, pointing her palm straight at the monster. Within less than a second, a huge blast of magic emerged from her hand, hitting Cinderblock like a giant cannon. It was white energy, wrapped in black and red chakra, and it illuminated the street in an eerie glow as it engulfed Cinderblock.

The monster gave another scream, just before a huge explosion knocked him a block down the street, unconscious. Defeated.

The rest of the titans stood there in awe as they saw Raven single handedly take down the monster in one gesture, Raven's hand was still smoking from the blast.

"Dude….you like, totaled him." Beast Boy said excitedly.

"Indeed, we are victorious!" Starfire replied happily.

"Yo! High five Raven!" Cyborg raised his hands, only to see that Raven's own palm was still smoking from the blast.

"Er, a pat on the back is just as good." Cy grinned, slapping Raven hard on the back.

"Heh, thanks, really guys, it was nothing." Raven replied with a modest smile, even blushing a little.

"Nonsense! We must celebrate with a feast of Glorg!"

Robin however, was the only one who looked like he didn't feel like celebrating, and Raven saw the suspicion in him. She felt nervous, she didn't want anything ruining this day, not when she still had something to do.

"So…shouldn't we be getting back to the tower?" Raven said, "After all, someone's got to eat the glorg." She smiled.

"Oh yes friends! Let us depart!" Starfire clasped her hands with glee, while the rest of the titans walked back. Knowing what awaited them at home, Beast Boy and Cyborg gave a groan as they got back into the car.

"Raven, you coming?" Robin said, noticing that Raven was the last to leave.

"Uh yeah Robin, just give me a sec ok?" Raven replied, secretly looking at the smoking palm of her hand, which was still burning from that last attack. What was that….. 

"Raven?"

"Coming." Raven turned and smiled, running to the T-car, where the rest of her friends waited.

The T-car quickly sped away, the Titans all eager to spend the rest of the afternoon at home.

**------**

As the Titans left, a string of chaotic events took place in the street intersection. All the fire hydrants suddenly exploded, spewing forth pillars of water into the air, traffic lights went on and off, some telephone poles were melting while some cars were launched chaotically into the air. A shroud of black and white energy hung menacingly over the intersection like a dark storm, until finally, when the Titans were out of range, it simply disappeared……….


	18. Cursed Act 1 pt 2

**Act 1 Part 2**

Night had come to Jump City, and already Raven was in deep meditation, trying to cleanse whatever had happened back there in the fight. She sat cross-legged as she levitated in mid-air, chanting her usual spell, her eyes shut and face composed.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos……Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

A cold wind brushed against her, sending chills down her spine and bare legs. Her cape flapped from the breeze as she hovered over the rooftop of the Tower. Although she was happy to be able to express emotion, Raven still preferred these private moments to herself.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos." She murmured. Focus on your She kept her thoughts controlled, taking drawn-out, calm breaths in the process.

She remembered back to when they returned to the tower, Raven's first thought was to head straight for the roof, it was really the only other place besides her room where it was nice and quiet. The rest of the Titans weren't wholly unsuspecting however, Robin and Beast Boy were the first ones to ask whether something was wrong, she replied that she just needed a break.

And now here she was, lost in the vast expanse of her mind. It was serene, tranquil here. No Beast Boy complaining about video games, no Starfire dragging her to shopping malls. It was just her, within the peace of her mind.

The tower and sky faded from Raven's view now, replaced by a beautiful black red sky, filled with asteroids and shooting stars, the cold night air vanished, replaced with a serene warmth.

This was Raven's escape, a place to cleanse herself of the frustrations everyday, and so she continued chanting.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos……..Azarath, metrion, Zinthos……Azar-"

Raven……….

A voice appeared somewhere in her head, interrupting her in mid-chant. It was a soft voice, a low whisper, almost gentle…..yet eerie at the same time.

The shock knocked her out of the trance, and Raven's eyes snapped wide open. This break interrupted her breathing for an instant and she coughed several times, her breath misting in the cold night air.

"Who was that……." Raven whispered. She felt that she knew the answer. That she was close to its source, but what? Was it a side effect from her dreams or something else?  
Whatever…this…. was, it was preventing her from not only sleeping well, but from meditating too.

She put on her hood back on. She felt disturbed, perhaps even scared, but she was determined not to let this bother her.

Just then, a sound echoed through the rooftops, a clicking metallic sound. Moments later, Raven heard the rustling of footsteps in the darkness.

Raven's narrowed her eyes, a look of panic on her face. With the swiftness of a seasoned fighter, she wheeled herself to face back, instinctively raising her hand in preparation for using her powers.

Nothing was there….

Someone else was there though, and Raven ran to hide behind one of the power generators, to see who this intruder was……

**-------**

It was Robin. The boy wonder walked casually on the rooftop, his cape flowing behind him as the cold night wind picked up its pace.

It's him. Raven thought again, feeling her heart skip a beat. He's really here, and it's just him. Perfect.

Raven never knew Robin spent his nights up here on the tower roof, but then again, the Titan leader was always the solitary type. Something they both had in common. She was hoping there was more.

Robin didn't say a word, instead, he walked slowly, deliberately, taking in the night atmosphere. There was a full moon tonight, and the silouette of the young hero was outlined clearly under the veil of stars. Raven inched forward, wrapping her fingers around the corner of the wall she was hiding behind, and popped her head out for a peek.

The boy wonder stopped at the edge of the rooftop, perching his foot on the ledge and leaning forward, gazing intently into the distance, as if he were scouting something.

He always did have a thing with the cool guy persona.

Raven felt herself sweating nervously, her heart pounding like it was going to flat line. At that moment, none of her other feelings matter, all of her other concerns just disappeared, swallowed up by the Earth, never to bother her again. She was overjoyed at having this moment given to her, this chance to finally tell Robin her feelings.

Yet joy was mixed with frustration. She still did not understand, not know how to interact, or make conversation, at least, without having a nervous breakdown, for this was truly difficult for her. She wanted to get closer to say something, yet, the words couldn't come through, she only felt the feelings.

Then Raven shook her head, no. She can't let this opportunity pass a second time. She faced oozing monsters, aliens and inter-dimensional demons, surely she could do this!

She felt a blush come to her face, and suddenly felt foolish for being so scared, so hesitant.

No.

She gathered herself now, her composure, she would do this calmly, as she had done everything else.

Raven stepped forward, just as the Boy Wonder turned, a small smile appearing on his face.

Robin however, was not staring at Raven, but at the night sky, where the silhouette of another familiar figure flew. Raven froze as she saw the visitor.

Starfire.

The Tamaranian flew gracefully, landing quietly on the rooftop next to Robin. Already she was close to the boy wonder, the two heroes quietly holding hands as they stared at the bright moonlit bay. Within a few minutes, they turned to each other, whispering something inaudible to Raven, and then embraced softly.

Raven didn't know what to say….did not find anything to say.

A new feeling overcame her now, a sort of pain, disappointment and despair. It was as if that huge burden, the one she had been carrying all this time, urging her to tell Robin her feelings, had suddenly fallen, crushing all her hopes, her dreamsand her feelings.

A gripped look of pain appeared on Raven's face for a split second, but she closed her eyes, surprised that she was being this pitiful. She wanted to cry, to just let it all out. But somehow, with a gargantuan effort, she brought herself to maintain her calm composure.

The sadness was gone now, and deep down, Raven knew she felt another emotion, the fear was gone, a flicker of anger and frustration, even hatred taking its place, and she instantly felt ashamed because of it. They are my friends….how can I even….

She put her hood back on now, a look of remorse and shame appeared on her face as she quietly walked down the stairs back into the tower. She had nothing to say, the words just weren't there anymore, forever lost in a pit of despair that now blackened Raven's mind.

**-------**

The pain did not go away though, and Raven found herself aching even more as she walked down the steps. She felt heavier, and breathed faster. A flicker of black energy whipped past her eyes, but she did not notice it, Raven paid no attention to any of it as she walked down the dark steps, a shroud of black energy slowly following her.

A sharp stab to her chest suddenly made her widened her eyes in realization.

This pain. It was real.

Raven clapped both of hands to her head now. Groaning painfully as if she was trying to tear this awful experience out of her mind. But it didn't stop, this pain, the pain of Robin and Star, the bitter pain of sadness, of disappointment. It just didn't leave.

She stumbled now, her powers running astray as they put her off balance. Everything she passed was quickly affected, chairs were torn to pieces, and black shrouds tore gaping holes into the ceiling. Black and white claws, projecting from the aura surrounding Raven, carved jagged scratches into the walls where ever Raven passed.

No….she shook her head painfully.

I'm past this. Trigon's gone, my emotions are no longer dangerous….. This can't be happening.

_"Oh…but it is"_

It was that voice again, this time it came back with a vengeance, every single syllable it uttered sent waves of pain through her skull, causing Raven to scream even more.

This time, the black chakra around her began swirling, forming a black tornado that sent chaotic winds flying throughout the hallway.

Amidst the chaos in the hallway, Raven heard the echo of laughter in the air. Someone was laughing at her.

Was it because of Robin? Was it laughing at her foolishness?

_No….…._

Raven's eyes widened as she heard this voice intrude her thoughts again.

_It is at your helplessness….at your frustration…at your__complete and utter incomprehension._

Raven screamed, although it was lost in the complete carnage that she had wrought in the tower. Doors were stripped from their hinges, thrown and impaled into the wall, while a storm of debris, paper, and rubble flew around her. While this was happening, the pain became even more unbearable.

The door from the lounge opened now, and Beast Boy and Cyborg ran into the hallway to see what was going on.

"Raven!" Beast Boy shouted above the roar of the black hurricane.

At that instant, Robin and Starfire appeared behind them, shocked at the sight of their friend suffering within the whirlwind of her own magic.

"What's going on?" Robin demanded, holding his arm up to protect his face from the debris.

"Raven's power! It's out of control!" Cyborg shouted back.

"We gotta do something!" Beast Boy shouted above the roar of wind.

Robin nodded his head, it was only a matter of time before her powers totaled the tower, perhaps even the city was in danger.

"We have to get close….close enough to stop her." Robin said.

The other Titans nodded, readying themselves to brave the typhoon that Raven trapped herself in.

Robin took out three bird-a-rangs from his belt. The rest of the Titans nodded, Cyborg charged his sonic cannon, while Starfire had her hands charged.

"Remember, don't hurt her." Robin added. "Titans, Go!"

Robin was the first to jump into the black maelstrom, dodging a jagged piece of rubble that threatened to cut him. A bird-a-rang was thrown to his side, destroying a door that had been torn of its hinges by black magic. Cyborg was next to him, covering the flank, using his sonic cannon to blast a path through the black shroud.

Starfire was next, flying in and punching a flying desk in half, clearing a path through the debris with her starbolts.

Black claws began forming in the wall of magic that surrounded the Titans, reaching menacingly for the four titans. Cyborg charged his cannon, firing them at the arms, shredding them like confetti.

"Cy! Watch out!" Beast boy changed into a ram, hitting Cyborg away to the side just as two arms emerged from the floor, grabbing Beast Boy instead.

"Let go!" Cyborg shouted, firing his cannon once more, freeing the Changling.

Starfire meanwhile, had cleared a path through the black shroud, and she saw Raven, collapsed onto her hands and knees in the eye of the storm, a surge of black energy cackling around her body. The Titan gave an agonizing groan as the energy built up even stronger around her.

The Tamaranian landed next to her friend, putting her hand onto Raven's shoulder to try and support her.

"Do not be afraid Friend, I am here."

Raven turned to face Starfire now, and the Tamaranian gasped as she saw four glaring red eyes in her face.

**"GET AWAY FROM ME!"** Raven shouted in a demonic voice, and with a flick of a hand, she sent Starfire flying straight into the wall with a scream. The maddening pain returned to Raven now and she dropped back onto her knees, her hands holding her head.

_Make it stop……make it stop._

"Raven! You gotta snap out of it!" Beast Boy said with his last breath of air as he struggled with the claws that pinned him against the floor, Cyborg meanwhile, was firing as much as he could to get BB free, but the black shroud was almost fully engulfing the green titan.

Then suddenly, it was over. The black tornado vanished in an instant, dropping Cyborg onto the ground and allowing Beast Boy break free of the death grip.

The three Titans looked towards Raven now, who was still on her knees, eyes wide open in shock as the electric disc attached to her chest began sending violent bursts of electricity through her. Raven screamed, but when it was over, she gave a weak sigh and collapsed onto the ground, unconscious, her energy completely expended in that chaos.

Robin stood in front of her, devastated that he had to do that to a fellow titan.

Raven felt a lightness in her mind now, and uttered an almost inaudible groan as she slipped into unconsciousness, her vision blurred until finally, she passed out.

**-------**

The Titans took no chances, they sent Raven to the infirmary, strapping her down onto a medical bed as Cyborg began running some tests.

They kept her tranquilized, to prevent her powers from tearing apart the room, although that did not stop Raven from groaning, tossing over in her bed, and uttering some nonsensical phrases.

"Dude….is she…. gonna be alright?" Beast Boy asked.

"Can't say for certain, her heart rate, blood pressure, everything is normal. Can't say much for her brain waves, she's in a deep trance right now."

Robin didn't say anything, he just leaned against the wall in the corner of the room, watching the haunting image of Raven as she struggled unconsciously with her straps that tied her onto the bed.

"Oh…what do you think would have caused this to our friend?" Starfire asked out of concern.

"I don't know Star, but perhaps the best thing we can do is hope that Raven can pull through this herself. I really don't know what we can do now." Cyborg said sadly.

The rest of the Titans remained quiet, staring uneasy at their Raven, who continued to toss and turn in agony as she lay on the bed, trapped in a deep trance.

**-------**

_Raven……._

Raven groaned weakly as she lay on the cold hard around. Her head felt like it had been hit with a sledgehammer. She gave her arms an experimental tug, placing them on the ground and pushing herself up.

As her hands touched the ground, she felt a cool breeze blow past her. The ground itself rolled like a wave at the touch of the wind, a beautiful blanket of green. Then Raven noticed it, the landscape she was standing on. Grass.

She stood up now, looking up into the sky, where a blue moon floated behind a group of wispy clouds above dark green night sky.

"Where am I?" Raven asked herself out loud.

Then the voice came back.

_"Isn't it obvious Raven? We are inside your mind."_

It was at that point that Raven recalled everything that had happened. That voice mocking her, her losing control of her emotions, almost hurting her friends…..

She gripped her hands into a fist, her uncertainty turning into a ferocious anger.

"Who are you?" Raven demanded.

A small chuckle echoed around the chambers of Raven's mind, coinciding with a strong breeze that blew several rose petals into the air.

_"You don't remember me? I'm hurt." _

The voice chuckled again as the roses converged onto each other, slowly changing colour and texture as they sped together in a huge whirlwind. Eventually, the whirlwind broke, and scraps of paper flew aimlessly around the body of the man who stood before Raven.

The Titan opened her eyes in shock as she looked at her antagonist, the plain paper body that she had freed months ago, the black eyes that she knew so well, yet didn't at the same time.

Raven was speechless.

_"Hello, my sweet Raven."_ Malchior gave a smug laugh, savouring every minute of it, knowing full well that Raven was helpless, trapped and right where he wanted her.

_"Did you miss me?"_


	19. Cursed Act 2

**Act 2 Part 1**

The four Titans gathered in the hall, waiting patiently as their friend worked on the lock. Cyborg was already at the doorway, punching data into the computer built into his cybernetic arm.

"Security override, user code 257-486" Cyborg muttered into his built-in arm computer.

"Override confirmed, user identity Cyborg confirmed." The security system beeped.

"Unlock."

The mechanical doors came to life now, sliding open to reveal the passageway into Raven's room.

"Um. Do you think Raven will appreciate us intruding into her room like this?" Starfire asked uneasily as the four Titans walked slowly into the room, looking around.

"Raven's in trouble, and we have other way of helping her." Robin replied simply.

Although Starfire had been in Raven's room many times, the darkness still disturbed her. All around them were shelves filled with old dusty books, while in the center, stood a pedestal that held up two four-eyed masks, one of comedy, the other of tragedy. Along the sides of her room were an oddly shaped mirror and an old chest, while the various displays around her room contained chalices, braziers and old lamps, all of them shaded in grey and black due to the lack of light in the room.

"You said there was a mirror here that we can use to help Raven?" Robin asked Beast Boy and Cyborg, who scavenged the room.

"Yea, last time we used it, we went inside Raven's mind. Whatever's happening now, I bet that's where we'll find the problem." Cyborg replied.

"You can't miss it dude, it's got four eyes in it and is extremely creepy looking."

Robin brushed his chin with his fingers, looking around the room and seeing an entire cabinet full of oddly shapped hand-held mirrors.

"Can you…..narrow this list down a bit?"

"Let us commence the search." Starfire replied seriously, carefully taking the mirrors off the cabinet and seeing if there was anything suspicious about them. The rest of the Titans joined in, going through each of her mirrors carefully.

Beast Boy was…somewhat less delicate.

"Aw man, where is that thing?"

The green titan vigorously attacked the shelf, inspecting all the hand held mirrors and discarding the ones that he didn't think was that one. Unknowingly, he threw a mirror into the air, to the surprise of the Titans.

"Beast Boy!"

Beast Boy turned around and panicked, flailing his arms while letting out a high pitched scream. He dived forward now, trying to catch the mirror like a football player diving for a save.

It was too late. The glass shattered on impact as it hit the large mirror, spilling all over the floor in a gigantic mess.

When the dust cleared, Beast Boy stood in the center of the room, nervously rubbing the back of his head with his hand.

The three other Titans sighed, and Cyborg whispered quietly to Beast Boy.

"When this is over, Raven is so gonna kick your butt." Cyborg whispered.

The titans resumed their search again, until they had another interruption.

"Friends." Starfire said calmly. "Is this what you meant by four creepy looking eyes?"

The three titans turned now, and saw that Starfire was holding a mirror curiously, four red glaring eyes appeared from its reflective surface.

"Alright! We got it!" Beast Boy cheered.

The cheering was cut short as the mirror suddenly became swathed in red and black energy, which shot straight out of the mirror, forming itself into several arms, each one aimed at a Titan.

"Um…..maybe it's the other way around…" Beast Boy said nervously as the huge arm towered over him, grabbing him and muffling his nervous screams.

"Beast Boy!" Starfire shouted, attempting to fly towards her friend, but at that moment the other arms sprouted forth, cackling in black and red energy, and wrapped the rest of the titans. The four Titans struggled as the energy arms pulled them back into the mirror, until one by one they all disappeared. As the last Titan disappeared into the mirror, the looking glass went back to normal, the last of the black and red magic disappearing into a puff of smoke.

* * *

The four Titans soon found themselves in a giant whirlpool of black and red energy, screaming as they violently swirled down into the center, which appeared to be a giant black hole.

"Haaaang on Duudes!" Beast Boy screamed as the four Titans joined hands, swirling downward until they disappeared through the black hole in a giant flash of light.

* * *

The titans continued screaming as they fell deeper into the swirling vortex, falling deeper and deeper until finally the dark tunnel ended, and the four heroes found themselves falling out of a hole in the sky, landing roughly onto a patch of ground, throwing up a cloud of dust in their wake.

"Ugh." Cyborg groaned, rubbing his sore head. "Well that part went just as I remembered."

"Yeah, but I don't know about the rest of this place." Beast Boy replied in a surprised tone as he gauged the landscape of Raven's mind. Last time he visited, this place was full of rock asteroids, floating in some scary red and black space. Now, it was like something out of a storybook. The landscape consisted of fields of green grass and groves of trees.

The sky was dark, as if it were dusk, tinged with shades of green.

It resembled a forest from a fairy tale, calm, peaceful, serene. There was even a gentle breeze blowing past the titans, throwing up leaves and blowing waves in the grass.

"Whoa, talk about a makeover." Beast Boy commented, walking towards the forest until he saw flocks of cute little Ravens perched on the branches. The forest suddenly came to life, lighting up in red as thousands of red eyes peered through the darkness.

_Turn back…._ A small high pitched voice echoed throughout the woods, as more Ravens emerged, walking closer and closer to the titans.

"Watch it! They'll eat you alive!" Beast Boy screamed, jumping up into the arms of a surprised Cyborg as if he were a scared, whimpering baby.

"Turn back…" The small birds pleaded.

"Keep your guard up guys…." Cyborg dropped Beast Boy onto the ground, and the changling gave a complaining grunt as he landed. The robotic Titan was serious however, turning his hand into a sonic cannon while the rest of the titans prepared themselves. Starfire charged both her palms with green energy, while Robin took out three bird-a-rangs in his hand.

"Turn back…." The birds however, did not attack. Instead, they chanted one last time, and transformed. Instead of transforming into the snarling bird creatures that Beast Boy and Cyborg prepared themselves for, they turned into a flock of white doves, flying gracefully away as they scattered from the Titans' view, disappearing into the night sky.

"Heh, looks like some things have changed." Cyborg lowered his sonic cannon now.

"Not everything…." Beast Boy backed his way to Cyborg, looking nervously as something new began emerging from the wood. The very ground under the titans' feet began rumbling like a small earthquake, causing several trees to fall over.

Two giant stone statues appeared from the wood now, each one wearing a robe and sporting a mask of comedy as a head. A split second later, the stone eyes began glowing maliciously, splitting into four eyes, while the stone heads spun in place, revealing a mask of tragedy, and spinning again, to reveal a smiling face. The statues held out their arms now, and swords began materializing in their hands, while a second set of arms sprouted underneath their arms.

The four titans backed away cautiously now as the two statues approached them, lifting their swords above their heads in preparation for the attack.

"Titans, go!" Robin threw his bird-a-rangs, which were easily brushed aside as the two statues swung their swords, causing sparks as the bird-a-rangs were knocked aside by the giants' blades. The giant statues gave a demonic and hoarse laugh as they attacked.

"I'll give you something to laugh about!" Cyborg yelled, jumping up into the air and landing right on one of the statue's shoulders. Then, charging both hands into sonic cannons, he fired them into the statue's head, causing it to explode into large fragments.

"Boo yah!" Cyborg jumped off the statue's shoulders as it crumbled into dust.

"Yah!" Starfire grunted, a kick slashed across the statue's face, causing it to fall onto the ground.

The statue quickly got back onto its feet, and Robin swerved to the side as he dodged another sword slash. The giant's second sword closed in on Robin now, but the boy wonder was quicker. Reaching into his belt, he took two bird-a-rangs and combined them into a sword, parrying the stone sword just inches before it reached his face. The boy wonder strained, grunting as the weight of the stone statue was proving too much for him.

A giant roar of a T-rex shook the air, and a large green dinosaur body slammed the statue, sending it flying into a wall. A second head-butt into its stomach caused it to explode into thousands of small fragments.

"We are victorious?" Starfire asked as she hovered above her friends.

Her answer quickly came as more trees fell around them, a chorus of malicious laughs filled the wood as more stone swordsmen approached.

"Eep." Starfire shrieked.

"What now?" Cyborg asked as he backed closer to his friends, his sonic cannon charged and aimed at the stone horde that appeared out of the trees. The ground shook even more as a stone swordsman jumped from the woods, landing next to Cyborg and raising his sword for the fatal blow.

Before the sword landed, the stone swordsman was blown away, three exploding discs reducing him to a small pile of dust.

"We find Raven." Robin said grimly, "we can't stay stuck here."

"But where shall we go?" Starfire inquired curiously.

"Anywhere but here!" Cyborg began firing now, destroying a statue with each shot, but it appeared that for every one he shot down, three more emerged from the woods.

"You guys go ahead." Beast Boy shouted. "I've got an idea!" The green titan then charged towards the stone statues, transforming into an elephant and charging the crowd of statues head on like a battering ram, clearing a path through the horde of stone statues and leaving a huge trail of dust and rubble in his wake.

"Beast Boy! We need to stick together!" Robin ran to stop Beast Boy, but found that the path Beast Boy carved through the stone army was quickly blocked by more swordsman.

"What the heck is that guy thinking?" Cyborg grunted as more stone statues jumped him. The mechanical titan threw a punch behind his shoulder, knocking one of the swordsman off, then he fired his sonic cannon in a wide sweep, disintegrating every statue that was close to him.

Cyborg wanted to charge after Beast Boy, but Robin placed his hand on his shoulder. "We can't afford to be split up even more, whatever Beast Boy is planning, we got to trust that he can take care of himself."

"Um….friends?" Starfire replied nervously as more four eyed stone statues came from behind the titans.

"Alright, let's get out of here." Robin jumped and grabbed Star's hand now, while the Tamaranian swooped down to pick up Cyborg, who jumped into the air to escape the clutches of the Stone monsters.

"Alright! Hang on, Raven! We're coming for ya!"

* * *

Raven stood still as she saw the paper figure stand before her, chuckling softly to himself as he contemplated the sorceress's predicament.

"You…You can't be real." Raven said as she backed away from Malchior. She thought to himself, he must be some projection, a fake, something. It's not possible.

"Oh, but I am real, Raven. You have no idea how long I've waited for this day." Malchior replied in his smooth, eloquent voice as he slowly walked towards Raven.

"I never wanted to see your face again." Raven said with a hint of rage and hostility, backing away and throwing a huge black beam of magic at the paper Malchior.

The black wave however, dissipated when Malchior simply raised his hand, as if commanding Raven's beam to stop. "Now is that any way to treat an old friend?" He said reprovingly.

"You were never my friend."

"Oh come now Raven, you said it yourself. It's all in the past. You of all people should know about putting the past behind them."

Another chuckle came from Malchior now, as vines began sprouting from the ground, engulfing Raven before she even had a chance to fly or chant.

"Besides, honestly, how many other people have been as close to you as I have?"

The thorny vines wrapped themselves around the Titan, pulling her arms back while tying her legs together.

"And we are close, my sweet Raven." Malchior walked right up to Raven now, gently propping her chin up with his hand.

"How did you get here?" Raven demanded fiercely, struggling to free herself from the thorns. "I trapped you in that book."

"You recall me teaching you all those spells Raven?" Malchior chuckled smugly.

"I must admit, you were a fast learner. But for my purposes, not fast enough. So I decided to help you out."

He strolled casually towards Raven, tapping his head with a finger.

"With my magic, I transferred my knowledge of spells into your mind, but at the same time, I also created a link between us."

Raven's eyes widened as she recalled that moment months ago, the words already seeping into her mind. 

_You know...there is a better way_

Raven grunted again, trying to struggle her way out of her shackles, but it did no good.

Malchior went on, as if oblivious to the fact that Raven was trying to escape his grasp.

"That link Raven, allows me to create a gateway into your mind, and I must say Raven, I had a rather amusing time here." Malchior smirked, caressing Raven's chin with his hand.

Raven shook off Malchior's hand with disgust.

"So, you caused my powers to go out of control, you caused all those feelings in me?"

"I've been responsible for a lot of things lately, but I can't take all the credit, some of your foolishness in you was genuine." Malchior gave a mocking laugh, and Raven knew exactly what he was talking about.

"That's none of your business" Raven replied, hurt but defiant.

Malchior shook his head in disapproval, ignoring what Raven just said. "Frankly, I'm disappointed Raven, I truly am."

"Emotions have made you weak. Soft. Vulnerable. You should be thanking me Raven, in a way, I'm doing you a favour, I'm giving you what you want."

"You have no idea what I want." Raven replied angrily, almost lunging herself at Malchior.

"My…such hostility." Malchior replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"I've been in your head Raven, all your secrets, your thoughts, your desires, they are an open book to me." He inched closer to Raven.

"You wish to feel, to be able to express yourself, to feel 'normal' like everyone else." Malchior said smoothly, as if he were lecturing a small child.

"Expressions that everyone takes for granted; such as being able to laugh at one of Beast Boy's pathetic jokes, to cry on Robin's shoulder for support, or to enjoy the company of your friends when you feel alone. Small trinkets like these, they must be worth **everything** in the world to you."

Malchior walked right up to Raven now, running a strand of Raven's hair through his fingers. "My poor sweet Raven," He said almost sympathetically, comfortingly, the same tone he used with Raven when they first met.

"To never laugh, to never smile, to never express herself to the world, always a prisoner to her own emotions. To feel like an outcast trapped behind a wall you can neither see nor break." The gentle voice painfully reminded Raven of the caring friend she once thought he was.

"It must be ever so painful for you." Malchior said mockingly.

The sympathy was gone now, and Malchior resumed his deceptive and malicious tone, chuckling to himself again.

For a second there, Raven almost wanted to shed a tear, for every word he uttered was true, then she cursed herself for being weak. She kept her composure however, not wanting to give Malchior the satisfaction.

"But I am rather curious Raven, did you actually think that any of it would actually work? Did you really think you could possibly escape my grasp?"

Raven didn't reply, she simply gritted her teeth, her face fixed with rage.

"Think of this as repayment. You trapped me in that book, the same prison I had to suffer for a millennia. So now, I crafted my own little prison for you." He said that last sentence with relish, leading closer to Raven, his face just inches from hers.

"What do you want with me?" Raven asked sternly

"You were born to be a portal, am I not correct? Well. I will be using your body as a portal; to the real world. To escape this wretched curse that you placed upon me." Malchior's eyes glowed red now, and his palm glowed with white magic.

"And now that you're here….I can proceed." Malchior's eyes gave a sinister glare, he held his hand back, preparing to thrust it straight at Raven.

Before his hand could even touch the Titan however, two blades sliced through his wrist, cutting his hand off. The hand simply fell apart into a pile of paper. Malchior, not bothered by the loss of his limb, simply reformed the paper hand.

The villain turned to look up at a cliff that overlooked his location, where he saw the silhouettes of three titans, all in battle position.

The bird-a-rangs returned to their owner's hand now, and Robin caught them, preparing to use them again, while Cyborg and Starfire charged their hands with energy.

"Not if we have anything to say about it." Robin replied seriously, the three heroes took offensive positions now, readying to strike their enemy.

"Titans, go!"


	20. Cursed Act 2 pt 2

ACT 2, Part 2

The three titans attacked now, swooping down from the cliff to attack Malchior.

Malchior merely gave an amused chuckle then shrugged.

"I see, you want to fight. Very well then."

Robin was the first to act, throwing his two bird-a-rangs straight at the villain. The two projectiles flew at a curved arc, splitting apart to confuse its target and throw off their timing. While that was happening, Robin pulled out his bo staff and jumped off the cliff, fully intending to pound Malchior flat into the ground.

Malchior did not move in his paper body form, he merely shook his head as if this were child's play to him. With a swoop of his hand, a shockwave sent the two bird-a-rangs flying away in the opposite direction, one of them sliced a tree in half while the other impaled itself into the rocky cliff.

Robin was fast however, and before Malchior could even move, the boy wonder had already landed in front of the villain, swiping his bow staff at his opponent's feet.

Malchior jumped in the air to avoid the contact, but Robin just charged through, body slamming the wizard.

The boy wonder stumbled forward, realizing that he had hit nothing.

Malchior's body simply dissolved into strands of paper, reforming just as Robin checked his charge. He gave a malicious grin as he lifted his hand, which began crackling with white magic.

"Yo Paper boy! Try this on for size!" Robin instinctively ducked, revealing a cheering Cyborg as he jumped at Malchior, his right hand formed into a sonic cannon.

"Boo-yah!" Cyborg fired, discharging a blue beam that tore through the air, hitting Malchior square on, the sorcerer, as defense, brought up his charged up hand to intercept the beam.

A large explosion shook the ground as the two forces made contact, roaring blue flames surrounded the ground where Malchior once stood.

And yet, he still stood there, the paper silhouette still intact even in the flames.

Cyborg and Robin resumed their battle positions, their momentary disbelief replaced with the urgency to save Raven, who was still tied up in the thorns behind the figure.

"It's no use! His powers are even deadlier in here! Get out before its too late!" Raven yelled above the roar of the flame.

"We will never abandon you, friend!" Starfire declared, flying straight at Malchior with both fists charged green. Raven was shouting something else, but it was too late, within seconds she pummeled the villain with a huge barrage of star bolts. 

At first, Malchior swiped a few away with ease, but as the barrage got more and more intense, the magician found himself raising his arms to brace himself against the sheer force.

With a determined grunt, Starfire charged her last Starbolt, growing it to the size of a large van, before chucking it down at Malchior.

The paper figure simply absorbed the blast, standing unphased as the explosion tore nearby trees off their roots and threw boulders into the air.

Not giving up, Starfire flew in close, fully intending to use her super strength to pummel Malchior into the ground. Cyborg supported Starfire, firing a salvo of missiles from his shoulders.

Malchior however, was quicker, he jumped into the air, avoiding the missiles while at the same time, shooting a strand of paper at Starfire. The Tamaranian checked her advance as she realized the paper was enveloping her, wrapping her up like a mummy.

"Mmmph! Mmph!" Starfire fell to the ground as the paper engulfed her face, cutting off her air supply.

"Starfire!" Robin shouted, running to catch Starfire before she fell, but his path was cut off as a heavy Mechanical Titan was thrown squarely in his path.

Cyborg gave a groan as he landed, throwing up a huge mountain of dirt behind him before coming to a full stop.

Malchior chuckled, advancing slowly, deliberately. Confident of the fact that he would win.

Robin however, cut him off, stopping right in front of him before Malchior could even reach Starfire and Cyborg.

The magician gave a weary sigh.

"You can save yourself the trouble, Robin." He said in a calm, authoritative tone. "You are a vigilante, not a warrior. In that regard I have centuries more experience than you."

As Malchior said that, he charged his hand with magic.

"Of course, that was the impression I got from Raven." He gave a mocking chuckle, instantly rewarded with an angry and hurtful glare from Raven.

"We'll see about that." Robin replied flatly, ignoring the villain's mind games. He pulled two more bird-a-rangs out of his belt, clicking them together to form a long broadsword, which had a nice golden glint to it.

"A sword, interesting…" Malchior said with amusement, evidently remember his last encounter with the boy wonder. "A very archaic and outdated choice."

"Still enough to cut you to ribbons." Robin charged, lunging with his usual lightning quick reflexes.

To his surprise however, his blade did not make it to the target. It stopped, as another steel blade intercepted its course.

"Not if you can't get to your opponent." Malchior smirked, the magic he formed around his hands had instantly transformed into the sword.

Robin grunted, pulling his sword away from Malchior and giving the villain a horizontal slice, which would slice his body in half. To Robin's surprise, Malchior was quick with the sword, if not quicker. With a firm parry, the boy wonder's sword hit steel as Malchior simply countered by holding his own blade vertically by his side.

Malchior grinned, he had Robin right where he wanted him, the boy wonder's blade was far from his body, and a straight thrust would end this match right now.

But Robin was not playing by the rules of some fencing master, so he attacked, punching Malchior straight in the face.

The magician recoiled back with surprise, then found himself defenseless as Robin sliced at him with his sword.

With a flash of steel, Robin sliced across Malchior's body several times, tearing huge scars in his paper figure.

After several slashes, he backed away, but saw that Malchior was not the least phased by the attack. The paper strands began reforming, covering the holes and slashes that once scarred Malchior's body.

"Did you really expect to beat me? Here?" Malchior said in a slightly outraged tone, as if the very thought of Robin underestimating him has offended him.

"No, I came here to save my friend." Robin took his sword now, swinging back.

"Raven!" The boy wonder shouted as he threw the sword straight at the Titan, the blade spun like a boomerang as it flew, eventually hitting the vines around Raven's wrists and cutting them off. With a weakened groan, Raven collapsed onto her hands and knees as she fell from her prison.

"How very noble, but utterly useless." Malchior commented, then blasted Robin back with a magical attack, knocking the Boy wonder back, slightly dazed.

Raven, although slightly weakened, instantly ran to her friends, putting herself between them and Malchior.

"You're going to wish you hadn't done that." Raven replied in a deathly serious tone, her eyes charging white.

"Azarath Metrion-" She began chanting.

"Zinthos." Malchior finished off, knocking Raven back with a shockwave of black magic.

The Azarathian fell back, shocked and amazed at what had just happened.

Malchior simply laughed.

"No spells or curses to help you, Raven, in here I am all powerful. Though the link we share grants you my knowledge, I have access to your power, a fair trade off, wouldn't you say?"

Another wave of the magician's hand sent a black Raven's claw straight at the Titan, and she countered with one of her own, canceling out the attack in a giant blast. But Raven got the worst of it, and she lifted her arms to protect her face as the shockwave sent her farther back.

"And by now, most of your power has been absorbed by me."

Malchior walked closer, another magical attack forming in his hands. Raven widened her eyes in shock, she didn't have the strength to counter.

"It has been such a pleasure knowing you Raven, but sadly, your usefulness to me ends now."

He attacked.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a blast of energy hit Malchior. It came with such force that even the magician was thrown backwards by the explosion, landing unceremoniously onto the ground.

"Alright! The cavalry has arrived!" An excited voice shouted from somewhere.  
Raven looked back to the cliff now, and saw more figures standing there, very familiar figures. In the center, stood Beast Boy, standing triumphantly on the cliff's edge while around him, floated six other familiar looking heroines, all of them in different color capes, but all of them having the exact same name: Raven.

One of the Ravens was already cracking her knuckles, eager for a chance to get this started. "Let's kick some dragon butt."

**-------**

Beast Boy started things off, jumping into the air and pointing at Malchior in a very Robin-like pose.

"RAVENS, Go!"

He stepped forward, but realized that none of the Raven's followed him. Instead, the six emotions glared at Beast Boy, who instantly began shrinking back in nervousness.

"What were you trying to imply there buster? That you lead this team?" Green Raven growled.

"Figures….." Yellow Raven sighed.

"Umm….Well I…uh." Beast Boy rubbed his head nervously.

A black hand emerged from the ground now, giving Beast Boy a slap in the face.

"Now that's funny!" Pink Raven chuckled.

Beast Boy sighed, then flew off the cliff as an eagle, landing just beside Raven.

"Thought you could use some back up." Beast Boy smiled. "My idea of course." He pounded his chest proudly.

"Technically true, I never thought such a thing was probable." Yellow Raven, Intelligence, floated right in front of the two Titans.

"Alright girls, you know what to do." Green Raven smirked, spreading her arms out and teleporting herself in front of her opponent, the other Raven's teleported as well, scattering and forming a circle around Malchior, hovering above the paper magician, whose chances at winning suddenly looked very slim.

"Let's do this." The original Raven's eyes glowed now, floating above all her emotions, who all began chanting at once.

"Azarath……." Brave Raven started off.  
"Metrion……" The other Raven's followed suit.

"ZINTHOS!"

Seven distinct silhouettes of Raven appeared in front of the casters now, her 'soul-selfs'. Within seconds, they all launched themselves straight at Malchior, who vainly tried to counter the spell. The magic was too strong though, and within seconds, the black magic disappeared within Malchior, who began screaming pain.

The seams of his paper form began collapsing now, and Malchior's scream erupted into a giant roar as a tower of black flames surrounded him, contracting into his body until finally, the paper shell exploded, creating a giant firestorm that engulfed everything inside the circle formed by the Raven's.

In the nice plain of grass, there now stood a gigantic crater. Strands of burnt paper were swept into the air by the wind, while a huge black piller of smoke rose into the sky.

"Well," Beast Boy rubbed his hands together. "Looks like dragon boy got fried."

A sinister chuckle was heard.** _"Nice try, but not good enough." _**A new, more demonic voice emerged, and at that moment, two gigantic red eyes appeared through the black smoke.

"Beast Boy! Duck!" Raven shouted, just as a blistering jet of pure flame erupted from the smoke. The stream of fire was so strong, that the smoke was instantly blown aside.

The changling did not have time to dodge the attack, and Raven watched in horror as Beast Boy vanished within the flame, his figure obscured by the fire as the blast reached him.

"Beast Boy!" Gray Raven shouted in despair.

Raven had reached her friend just in time, throwing up a barrier to shield him from the rest of the blast, but not in time to prevent Beast Boy from suffering from some burns.

"Beast Boy?" Raven held her friend in her arms, desperately hoping for an answer.

The changling groaned weakly, and Raven gauged that her friend was going to survive. She gently lay down her friend, then turned to meet her antagonist.

The pillar of smoke surrounding the dragon Malchior was almost gone now. A huge black and purple wing emerged from the black char in the crater, throwing up a gust of wind that sent hot pieces of ash flying in Raven's face.

Raven stood up, shrouded in a veil of black cackling magic, which became stronger as she felt a new rage over power her.

Before she could do anything however, a giant tail lunged straight at her, wrapping Raven in a tight vice grip. With a vicious tug, the tail pulled Raven into burning crater. It was like a scene from dante's inferno, all around her, there was burning rock, and fiery ash raining from the sky, while pillars of smoke filled the air. All this was accompanied by a sickening smell of sulphur.

The enormous tail curled in, bringing Raven up to the face of the massive Dragon Malchior. The beast smirked as it saw its prey, utterly helpless.  
**  
I don't think you comprehend your situation here. In here, I am all-powerful. Do you dare defy a god, my sweet, misguided Raven?  
**

"Wouldn't be the first time." Raven replied flatly, charging her hands with black magic and digging them into Malchior's tail. The Dragon's flesh hissed and sizzled as it came into contact with Raven's burning magic.

With a painful roar, Malchior let Raven go. Before he could do anything else, a blast of black magic shot him in the eye.

Through the smoke, Malchior turned to see Green Raven floating next to him.

"Bring it on, dirtbag." Green Raven spat on her hands, rubbing them together eagerly in anticipation of a good fight.  
**  
Be gone!**

The dragon raised it's jaw, letting loose a stream of liquid fire at Green Raven. Brave Raven simply dove straight at Malchior, slicing through the fire like a hot knife through butter, before punching the dragon in the face.

The Beast's head flew back, but ultimately, the punch was too small to phase such a large monster, and a swipe of a tail sent Brave Raven flying into a rock formation, leaving a huge hole in it.

"Whee! This is fun! Hahahahaha" Pink Raven laughed as she flew in around Malchior, dodging each and every one of his fire blasts, zigzagging in circles in such a pattern that she actually avoided each of the dragon's attacks. When she had time, she stopped and threw in a blast of magic at the dragon.

"Nah nah nah nah nah! You can't hit me!" Pink Raven taunted the dragon, pulling her eyelids down and stretching her tongue out to make a face.

Malchior used his wings to shield him from the attacks, then lunged forward and grabbed pink Raven in his giant claws.

**So you like funny, don't you?**

The dragon smirked, and Pink Raven gave a nervous laugh as she found herself in the dragon's grip.

"Heh…heh….heh?"

A split second later, a small explosion erupted in the crater, throwing a charred and beaten pink Raven into the air.

Pink Raven luckily, was caught by yellow Raven, who swooped down to save her fellow emotion.

"Are you injured in any way? Broken bones? Concussions?" Intelligence asked out of concern.

"Geez….." Pink Raven replied in a dazed and disoriented tone. "Some guys just can't take a joke." Happy Raven gave a silly smile, then fainted.

"What are we going to do?" Gray Raven said timidly as she covered within her cape. "There's no way we can beat him, we don't stand a chance." She said hopelessly.

"Nonsense, every enemy has a weakness, we just have to exploit it." Intelligence began thinking to herself, her attention however, was focused on orange Raven, who was napping under a tree, watching the battle as the half dozen Ravens fought the huge dragon.

"And what exactly do you think _you're_ doing?" Yellow Raven asked orange, slightly annoyed.

Orange Raven yawned. "Well, looks like you guys have it under control, so I think I'll just take a break here."

A distant roar made the Raven's turn to the direction of the battle, and the first thing they saw was green Raven flying straight at them.

Not that it was controlled flying, more like that Raven was _thrown_ towards them.

"Looooook out!" Green Raven managed to squeeze in, just before she hit the earth, making a neat little smoking crater in the ground.

"Hahahahahahahahaha! Nice! For a crash landing." Pink raven, suddenly recovered, jumped up and clapped her hands, laughing at her own joke.

"I'm _you_, genius." Green Raven replied dryly.

"OH." Pink raven replied dumbfoundedly, then afterwards, promptly shut herself up.

At this point, the original Raven flew in, landing weakly on her knee. She had exerted all of her remaining powers. In the distance meanwhile, Malchior's laugh was heard, triumphantly roaring as he battled the remaining of Raven's emotions.

"He's too strong." Raven said flatly.

"Wow, I'm so glad we chose you to be our leader, because I so wouldn't have been able to figure that out on my own." Brown Raven replied sarcastically.

"True, so….wanna team up?" Bravery said with a grin on her face. "We beat him before like that."

The other Raven's nodded in agreement, all except Orange Raven, who lazily fell back to sleep, snoring.

"Let's just hope its enough." Raven replied.

_It's not_

Another voice came from behind her now, and all the Ravens turned to see a dark figure standing beneath the shadow of the trees.  
_  
"If you're going to stand any chance of beating him-" _

The figure stepped out of the trees now, and the other Ravens watched warily as the last Raven revealed herself. This one wore a red cape, while sporting four distinct glowing red eyes beneath her hooded-cloak, each one burning with the intensity of rage.

_"-You're going to need my help." _


	21. Cursed Act 3

**ACT 3**

Rage revealed herself fully now, walking out of the burning forest which the Dragon had so recklessly set aflame. An eerie dark silhouette walked out of the blaze, emerging unscathed by the intense heat of the flames.  
An uneasy silence broke out between Raven and her emotions, only to be broken by Happiness.

"Hey four eyes!" She waved cheerfully, chuckling at her own joke.

Red Raven gave a growl, turning her head fiercely towards Pink Raven and giving her a deathly glare. Her power was overwhelming, so much that even the turn of her head had sent a shockwave of wind through the crowd of Ravens.

"Ok…I'll be quiet now." Pink Raven began shrinking back from Rage.

"As I said," Rage said with a tone of impatience. "You will need my help."

"Pfft, like we need help from the likes of her." Bravery brushed Rage's offer off.

"Sh…quiet, don't let her hear you, she'll get angry." Timidness replied, scared.

"She's hatred, she's always angry." Intelligence said smugly.

"Oh. Right." Happiness commented.

"I thought you were happiness, pinky, not stupidity." Rage sneered.

"AHAH, good one!" Happiness clapped her hands and laughed joyfully, then stopped as she realized what Rage had just said. "OH."

"Why should I trust you?" The original Raven stood up in front of the crowd of emotions now, asserting herself in front of her own rage, the very manifestation of everything she had wanted to escape.

"Because I have the power, you know that. Unless you want him to run rampant through your mind forever." Rage pointed towards Malchior, who was already beating another one of Raven's emotion flat into the ground.

Then a dark grin appeared on Rage's face. "Deny it all you want, but I'm a part of you."

"I don't want anything to do with you." Raven scoffed.

"Just like you didn't want anything to do with him?" Rage jerked her head towards the dragon.

"Just an inconvenience." Raven replied flatly.

"Nevertheless, if we hope to get him out of here, we must work together. You must learn to embrace your heritage, just like I did. If you want to achieve your true potential, if you want to save your friends. It's the only thing you can do."

"I'll be the judge of that."

Raven raised her palm into the air now, which began glowing with magic. The other emotions nodded, gathering around Raven and hovering just slightly above the ground.

The emotions began spinning around Raven now, faster and faster until they became coloured blurs. Their airspeed became so fast, that eventually, all six colours faded into white.

A flash of brilliant light obscured Rage's view now, and within seconds, the last emotion, purple Raven, was sucked out of Malchior's grasp, dissolving into a bolt of energy and cackling into the swirling vortex where Raven was.

When the smoke cleared, there were only two Ravens left.

Rage, and next to her, was Raven, standing in a circle burnt into the ground, her robe and hood completely turned to white.

The huge dragon, his prey gone, turned around to see the two Ravens. A dark chuckle went across the beast's face.

**An admirable effort, but pathetic nonetheless.** The dragon drew back its neck, then lunged forward, releasing a ball of flame.

Raven replied by lifting an energy barrier in front of her, absorbing the explosive force of the blast, which dissipated into several waves of searing heat.

She threw another black energy beam at the dragon, which exploded into smoke on its wing. While at the same time, her eyes glowed black as she focused on her next spell.

The very ground itself seemed to shake as an earthquake reverberated around the crater where Malchior was. The crumbling of rock and stone was heard as slowly, but surely, the entire cliff side that the Titans were standing on began lifting into the air, surrounded by a cloud of black magic.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven slammed both her hands down, throwing the huge mountain towards Malchior.

The dragon however, was not without his own tricks.

**Necronom, Hesberick, Mortix!**  
Black cackling magic appeared from the dragon's arms, spreading throughout his body just as the huge slab of earth and rock collided with his body. The dragon was un-phased though, for the magic layer around his body simply burned through the huge block of earth, causing it to split into two as it passed Malchior.

Raven watched in surprise, at the relative ease with which Malchior had blocked the shot.

**Your powers, remember? **The dragon chuckled, then formed two black discs of dark magic in his hands while at the same time, charging his mouth for another breath of fire.

**Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!**

The black magic in Malchior's claws began cackling, forming tendrils that shot out at Raven. Before the sorceress could even respond, she was tied up in the bonds of her own magic. Raven grunted, trying to break free with her own spells, but to Raven's surprise, Malchior was using her powers more proficiently than she ever considered him capable of, and so the restraints were too strong for her.

Malchior, his prey nicely tied up, let loose another stream of fire, this one hitting Raven dead on. The titan let out a short scream as she became engulfed in the fire. The pain was unbearable, burning through every fiber of her body and mind.

At that moment, Raven lost her focus and fell from the sky, sliding across the broken ground, groaning in pain.

The dragon took to the skies now, giving a triumphant roar.

**Oh….hurt aren't we? But don't worry, it will soon be over. Your friends are defeated, and I will finally be free. Not only that, I will leave you a broken mind, and your friends will spend the rest of their days treating you as a helpless vegetable. How does that sound Raven?"** the dragon gave a monstrous roar of a laugh, spreading its wings out as it hovered abover her.

**But then again, your friends will be trapped here with you, so I guess you'll be having company after all.** The dragon took one look at the four unconscious titans, giving her friends a dark glare.

"NO!" Raven turned around, her entire body bathed in black energy. Within seconds, the energy rose up into the sky, forming a gigantic soul self that matched even the Dragon in size and wingspan. The giant Raven let off one long, tortured screech just before it crashed into Malchior, forming a swirling dome of black energy that kept expanding, as if it would explode.

The violent magic however, stopped suddenly, disintegrating into random pieces of black before finally being absorbed back into the caster, the Dragon Malchior.  
Raven, breathing heavily from the last attack, found that she barely had the strength to stand up, let alone stand, and so she fell back onto her knees, beads of sweat dripping down her face.

"You know you can't defeat him." Rage landed next to Raven now, speaking calmly, as if oblivious to the fact that a fifty-foot dragon hovered above them, readying for its next strike.

"You know what you need to do. If you want to save 'our' friends."

Raven gritted her teeth at that last remark, she did not want to even consider this an option, but now, it looked like she had no choice. Gathering her remaining strength, Raven began standing up weakly, focusing her remaining energy as Rage stood beside her. The two Ravens began chanting….

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" Raven began.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos…." Rage continued.

"Carazon Rakashas Endere…" A swirl of black and red energy appeared around the two girls, who stood side by side as they chanted, their eyes glowing red.

"Vaserix Endrien….…" Raven hesitated, pausing for a second.

"Finish it." Rage said darkly. "If you want to save your friends."

"Trigon, Trigon, Trigon!"

The swirling mass of black energy turned red now, surrounding Raven as it ripped violently through her body. Raven arched her back in pain as the red magic flowed into her, filling her eyes full of black and red aura, until finally, it just stopped. Leaving a thick cloud of dust in its wake.

As the smoke cleared, Malchior watched with curiosity, only to see Raven emerge, only this time, the white was gone. Raven was back inside her blue cloak and black outfit.

Underneath her hood however, the titan looked up to reveal four red glowing eyes.

Raven gripped her fists intensely, which were already cracking with bolts black energy, while Malchior only watched with amusement.

**How cute, is this the part where I'm supposed to be-**

A huge black soul bird appeared next to Malchior, wrapping the huge dragon in it's embracing wing. Eventually the soul bird dissolved into black magic, forming a claw that trapped Malchior to his place in the sky.

**Impossible, I have your power!**

"This isn't my power." Raven replied emotionlessly, advancing towards the dragon.

She walked forward silently, carving a fiery path in the grass and trees she passed, each one burning to a crisp the second it came within five feet of her. A sickening hiss filled the air as the once beautiful green fields began burning with sulfur.

"Do you have any idea what you did to me?" Raven said feriously, her four menacing eyes glaring at the dragon. She gripped her fist next, intensifying the pain Malchior was feeling as the giant raven claw increased its death grip on the dragon.

The beast roared in pain, then with great strength, spread out its arms and wings at the same time, breaking free of its bonds.

Malchior chuckled, as if he were unaffected by the pain..

**I made you give up the only freedom that you ever had in your life. The freedom to feel, to express yourself, to feel 'normal' like everyone else. To be honest Raven, I like you a lot better this way.**

The dragon breathed a fresh stream of flame towards Raven, who simply brushed it away with one swipe of her hand. Malchior however, took this time to swing at Raven with his massive tail, knocking Raven back and crushing her against the remains of the mountainside, knocking the rest of the rock formation as the mountain crumbled into a huge cloud of rubble and smoke.

Raven groaned, lifting a rock up to emerge from the rubble, only to see Malchior walk towards her, each gargantuan step shaking the very ground.

**This is your fate Raven, your life. To be forever cursed by the very powers that make you special, trapping you in a prison you cannot see, feel, nor escape. It will always be there to haunt you Raven, just as I will always be.**

Malchior breathed another stream of fire now, this one calculated to finish the fight off once and for all. The huge pillar of flame emerged in front of Raven, at least three times bigger than the previous ones, and Raven prepared herself for the attack.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" A huge black bolt emerged from Raven, hitting Malchior's flame blast with full force. The two attacks cancelled each other out, while Raven and Malchior continued their contest of strength, one minute the black beam was pushing the fire back, while in the next minute, it seemed as though Raven would win.

Both combatants grunted under the strain, while in the center of their attacks, a nexus of swirling energies began building up, turning into a whirlwind of fire and black magic.

"Get out of my mind…" Raven grunted with strain, all four of her eyes blazing with fire. "and……" She focused even harder now, gathering even more energy around her, so much that a pillar of black flame was forming around her, incinerating everything that was beside her. Trees were torn violently from their roots, flying into the maelstrom of forces, while every blade of grass exploded into flame around her.

**It's much too late for you Raven.** Malchior focused his own strength now, forcing Raven's black magic back even more with his fire attack. **I am your better**

At that instant, just as it seemed Raven was about to lose, Malchior was blindsided by a series of exploding attacks that knocked him broadside. Green starbolts, exploding bird-a-rangs, and a blue sonic beam that scorched Malchior's face.

**WHAT!**

The dragon turned now, and saw the four other Titans standing on a nearby hill, all recovered from their fight.

"Get out of here!" Raven shouted, charging her own power to match Malchior, pushing the dragon's attack back.

"We can't let you do this alone!" Cyborg shouted from above the roar of the flame.

There wasn't time to say anymore though.

Eventually, the power was too much, and both Raven's and Malchior's energies exploded, sending huge shockwaves that threw Raven and Malchior back from each other. The four other titans reeled back from the huge blast of wind, trying to dig in but they too, were swept away into the air. A huge blinding white flash appeared over the battlefield, followed by a monstrous roar as the earth split open from the huge explosion.

As the dust settled, Raven found herself lying far away from where she once was, her bruised and battered body still smoking from the last attack. She tried to stand up, but found that the last attack had utterly exhausted her.

Immediately across from her, lay Malchior. The huge dragon was equally wounded in the last exchange, his wings were littered with scorch marks and scarred wounds, while his body too, wasn't without its share of bruises and burns.

It was a dead tie.

Even wounded however, Malchior was still laughing, the full confidence of a villain who knew that he had grabbed victory from the jaws of defeat.

**You may have prevented me from destroying you and your friends Raven, but you will not prevent me from achieving my goal. You forget, I control your power, I still hold all the cards.**

The dragon gave his hand a weak wave as he casted the next spell.

**And now, you will not prevent me from gaining my freedom.**

The ground once again began shaking, quivering as Malchior got up and rolled over onto his knees, the dragon gave his wings an experimental flap, spreading them out and creating a huge gust of wind in the process.

In front of Malchior, a large mountain began rising from the ground, with pillars of rock emerging to form columns that bent in the air. As the stone formations met, they twisted together, forming in the shape of the gigantic portal.

The other titans regained their footing now, and Beast Boy and Cyborg instantly recognized the portal that Malchior had created. Without wasting a time, the remaining titans charged towards the wounded dragon, but Malchior was only a step away from the portal, which led to the real world. Already, an image of Jump City, with the T tower and ocean, was forming within the blackness of the portal.

Raven tried to stand up, gripping her wounded shoulder weakly, but she found that she had no strength to stop Malchior, could only grit her teeth as she watched the giant monster crawl away from her.

The dragon did not have the strength to stand, so he crawled, dragging his gargantuan body slowly along the charred ground, closer and closer towards the image of the outside world, his ticket to freedom.

Before he could continue however, energy began to materialize in front of Malchior, in the shape of a red raven, until finally, its castor appeared. Rage, smug as ever, gave Malchior a grin as she landed right in front of him, the last thing that stood between the dragon and his freedom.

**Get out of my way…….we had a deal.** The dragon said weakly.

Those words, clearly audible to Raven, came as a shock to her.

Rage nodded. "So we did, but I'll be honest with you. I just don't like you."

With a malicious grin, she gave her hand a wave, and the image of the outside world shattered from the portal, replaced by the hellish image of another world, one filled with char and pillars of burning flames. All dominated by four glowing red eyes which emerged in front of the portal.

"Ever wonder why it's called, 'the forbidden door?'" Red Raven laughed darkly, within seconds, strands of red magic began reaching out from the portal, forming dozens of tendrils that wrapped around the dragon's body. Malchior grunted as chains of magic bounded his legs and arms. He tried to fly away but the magic had already tied his wings together.

Malchior was shocked, and now found himself being dragged towards this new portal, which led into some other dimension. He turned now, trying to crawl away with his remaining strength, but the pull of the demonic magic was too strong, little by little, the dragon inched closer and closer towards the doorway, his claws desperately digging into the ground, in an almost panicking fashion, to grab onto anything.

The dragon grunted.

**No! You can't……do this!"**

"Watch me." Rage smirked, her eyes glowing red. More red coloured tendrils shot out of the doorway, these ones wrapping around Malchior's neck and shoulder, until finally the dragon's body was forced into the portal. Before he was completely pulled in, Malchior lunged out of the portal defiantly one last time, just as he roared his last words, in screaming agony.

**NOOOOOOO!**

With that, Malchior disappeared into the portal. The red image of horror instantly vanishing in a flash of smoke as the dragon passed through.

Rage stopped now, landing in front of Raven, who was still pulling herself up, struggling with her wounds.

"You………" Raven glared at Rage accusingly. "You planned this from the start."

Rage didn't say anything, instead she gave a sinister grin as she turned to face Raven. The four red eyes glaring maliciously at her. Rage did not reply, before Raven could say anymore, Rage simply disintegrated into a bolt of red energy, which crackled back into Raven's body. Another flash followed, a small explosion of smoke obscuring everyone's view.

When the screen cleared, Raven found herself too weak to stand, an icy grip began swelling up inside her. She looked down, saw beautiful green fields of her once-free mind, all of them fading behind a black curtain.

She collapsed.

"Don't worry Raven, we've got ya." Beast Boy said reassuringly, Cyborg ran up to the two, helping Beast Boy prop Raven back up. The two titans knelt down as they held her head in their arms.

Her vision was blurred, and she was only able to make out vague shapes, but the voices were clear as day.

"Are you alright?" Robin asked, Starfire behind her, eagerly bombarding her friend with questions.

Before Raven could answer any of them however, another earthquake shook the ground, this one much more powerful than the last ones. Cracks began appearing in the ground, tearing the very plain apart. Fires began spreading all over the land now, engulfing whatever trees remained.

The sky, once peaceful and green, was now beginning to deepen into twilight. The skies turned into a black and red darkness that tore through the heavens, as if an eclipse was happening.

The very ground the Titans were standing on began fragmenting. Slabs of rock were torn from the ground, and lifted into the air, while the very earth began splitting into many fragments. Violent gushers of flame and darkness began erupting from the ground.

Everything was collapsing.

The series of events snapped Raven back to reality. True to his word, Malchior had left a final gift. The moment he left Raven's mind, it would start collapsing.

"Raven! What's going on?" Robin shouted.

"There's no time, you have to leave now." Raven said weakly.

Robin protested "Not until we-"

"NOW!"

Raven's eyes glowed white now, and with wave of her hand, all four titans were wrapped in black energy. Before anyone could say anything or do anything, they were being hurled towards the forbidden doors, which showed the image of Jump City once more.

As the Titans entered the portal, the last thing they saw was Raven, standing alone in the middle of a burning wasteland, the vast desolate plain which was now her mind.

**----------**

"Ugh….." Cyborg rubbed his head in pain. "Where are we?"

The other titans groaned weakly, still recovering from their trial, but a few more seconds to recover and focus told them that they were back in the infirmary.

"Dude, what just happened?" Beast Boy asked, but none of the other Titans replied. Instead they all stared at the infirmary bed, where Raven was still strapped down.

All their eyes were now focused on the heart-monitoring machine, which was emitting a flat beep as it flatlined.

Raven's heart had stopped.

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It was all gone now. The beautiful trees and green grass that once graced the realm of her mind, all gone, along with the freedom she had once enjoyed.

Just like that.

Raven's sense came back slowly, one at a time. The first thing she noticed was that the gentle summer breeze was gone, replaced by the searing hot blast of sulphur and smoking char, like a giant hairdryer blowing straight into her face.

She looked around now, and saw the familiar barren ground that she had been familiar with for most of her life. The sky, once clear and blue, was now a collection of red and black streaks, all under the veil of a gloomy darkness. All around her, the landscape had changed, where there was once trees, plants, life, there was now rock, all twisted into jagged and unnatural formations. In the sky above her, a mini-archipelago of asteroids floated quietly in the sky in disarray.

Raven had no idea why she was still here….still…alive. A second ago, her mind was collapsing, now, it was….this.

A flash of red light appeared in front of her, followed by the cackling roar of thunder. A storm was starting, somewhere in the far off distance.

Raven checked her vitals now, feeling her wrists and giving her hands an experimental grip.

_How did I survive?_

A blast of wind immediately answered her, blowing her cape as it came from behind her.

But this was a different kind of wind, it was different from the intense and inhospitable air that spewed from the fires around her, no, this was a pleasant breeze…..cool, gentle…..comforting.

She turned around now, to investigate the source of the wind, and right in front of her, was a solitary patch of trees and flowers that had been untouched by the scar torn into Raven's mind, a small island of beauty and life that sat in the chaotic maelstrom of flame and ash.

For some strange reason, Raven felt the urge to walk towards it, some silent force that beckoned her onward.

As she took her first step into the small patch of forest, she was already feeling uncomfortable. There was an eerie feeling inside her that made her feel like she was being watched.

After a few more minutes walking through the trees, she came across a clearing, which blossomed with thousands of beautiful flowers, each one more radiating than the last. There were roses, red, white and yellow, while in the center, were dozens of small patches of sunflower, geraniums and poppies.

She knelt over now, and picked up a small rose in her hand, and she saw that it was already beginning to wither and die.

This small forest did not have much time left, like everything else in her mind, the flames would consume it.

Raven shook her head now, throwing the flower away in disgust. She did not know why she was even here, there was no point now, there was no point in anything anymore.

As she turned to walk away, a voice rang out behind her.

"I believe you dropped this, fair maiden." It was _that_ voice, already etched in the back of her mind. The one that always made her feel like she was understood, cared for, perhaps, even more.

Instinctively, black magic began rippling through her hands, shrouding them in darkness. Raven turned around now, expecting the worst, but it was not the dragon.

Instead, it was a young man in a silver suit of armor, emblazoned by a black M. His face was concealed by a black scarf, and all Raven saw were those clear, crystal blue eyes, and long, flowy white hair. In his hand, was the rose that Raven had discarded, and the knight leaned forward, offering it back to her.

Raven swiped with her hand, brushing the rose aside and scattering it's petals into the wind. Her second hand was already focused for an attack.

"Don't you _dare_ go near me." She said it as if it were a death threat.

"Please Raven, you don't understand-" The Knight began.

"No Malchior, I won't fall for this anymore. Not now, not ever."

The man shook his head. "How can you still believe that Raven? Did you not see the dragon get banished from your mind?"

"You have you ways." Raven said fiercely, backing away from the man.

"You can put your mind at ease Raven, I am not Malchior." He approached her now, bowing politely as he got close. "Sir Rorek, knight of Nol, at your service."

"How do I know you're telling the truth? How do I know this isn't just another trick?"

"You are right to ask those questions Lady Raven, rest assured, this is no trick. There is no spell binding you to your mind, if you wish, I can send you back, whenever you want." The knight replied sympathetically. "But, I just want to help."

"You have the same voice as him." Raven said suspiciously.

"Or perhaps? He had mine. You must remember Raven, that it was my book the dragon was trapped in. All my memories, thoughts, even feelings were all available to him."

"If you're Rorek, how are you still here after a thousand years?"

"Magic allows you to do these things dear lady. To be more specific, when I trapped the dragon in the book, I placed certain…safeguards within its bindings, to ensure that the wretched creature would never escape again. I, or should I say, this projection of me, was one of those safeguards. I was surprised, to say the least, that you managed to break the curse. You are as powerful as they say."

"I don't believe you." Raven replied back, trying hard to resist the sympathetic voice from the man.

Rorek nodded. "Of course, because he and I share the same voice, the same voice that he used to make you believe him."

"I cannot say anything that may help distinguish us in your mind, but I can at least do this." Rorek reached around the back of his neck now, untying the scarf and lifting it to reveal his nose and mouth.

It was different now for Raven, back then, it had only been Malchior's paper body that she had connected with that voice, but now, standing in front of her, was an entirely different person. His pointed nose and small mouth adding to the charming blue eyes.

For the first time, Raven truly saw the face behind the voice she had always dreamed of, the handsome knight.

Raven wanted to walk closer to him, to caress his face with her hand, and hold his hand, but she hesitated. She wanted to trust him, but she just couldn't still. It was something she never wanted to talk about again, and she didn't want to talk about it now.

"Ok, you're two different people, I get that now. So, send me back, please." Raven said dryly, although she tried to best to make it not sound like she was pleading him to.

"And so I will Raven, but there are things I want to talk to you about. Namely, I must offer my apologies. You were wrongfully tricked by someone impersonating as me. And well, you know knights, with our chivalry and all, and I can't help but think I am responsible."

Raven shook her head, fighting hard to hold back the tears as she felt the old wound opening up again.

"No, you don't have to apologize, you don't have to do anything." She said softly.

"I cannot do much my lady," Rorek stepped forward now, brushing a strand of Raven's hair of his finger. "but perhaps I can help ease the pain, even by a little."

"I don't think you can do much now, Malchior's done the damage." Raven gestured at the blood red sky.

"True, but perhaps there is something else I can help you with. The feelings that had made you feel confused and lost these past few nights."

Raven froze now, remembering that singularly embarrassing moment with Robin just last night. The embarrassment however, soon turned to another type of feeling as soon as she remembered that scene with Starfire.

"I thought I had something….felt something for someone…" Raven said miserably as she turned away from Rorek. "And now, I'm not sure if I'll ever know what it meant. I have to meditate again, to control my emotions…." She said the last line with rank bitterness, clenching her fist tightly.

"It is true Raven, that Malchior has placed you back in that prison, in your mind. But expressing emotion isn't as important as feeling emotion, that is something no one can take from you." Rorek said comfortingly.

"What's the use of that?" Raven replied chidingly. "I'm still a prisoner, still trapped."

Rorek nodded sympathetically.

"A prison is a horrible place Raven, and I too once found myself inside one, torn away from the ones I loved, watching helplessly as my other friends suffered the same cruel injustice. I was a young lad then, too weak to do anything about it."

"Did you cry?" Raven, surprised that she was sympathizing with Rorek, could not help but ask.

Rorek nodded, "Yes, I did, and I suppose the situation isn't much different with you. But I will tell you Lady Raven, no matter how much we cry, no matter how much we wish for it to go away. The prison remains, so there is only one thing we can do."  
"What is that?"

Rorek placed his hand gently on Raven's shoulder.

"We make the best of it."

"That still doesn't offer me any help with my problem." Raven said flatly.

The Knight gave a gentle smile, continuing on. "It is true that you have strong feeling, that you may think it is love, those feelings are not false of course, but you must come to realize that there is more than one kind of love."

"More?" Raven asked, genuinely confused. She was so sure of the feelings she had towards him, how could they be false? How can he presume to know what she felt.

"But, how do I know, it is true?"

"I cannot pretend to know how to read your mind Raven, that is something you must learn in life. The line between friendship and love is hard to spot, but I have a feeling you will know when the time comes. You are still you, and no curse or hex can ever change that."

"Why does it always have to be this difficult? Like everything else in my life…." Raven said with a tone of gloom.

"It is never easy, but I believe that you will find your way. You are strong, I have full confidence in that." He gently caressed Raven's cheek with his soft hand.

"Be happy with who you are now Raven, However rare true love may be, it is less so than true friendship, and in that respect, you will find that you are a very lucky person, despite what you may think."

The conversation was interrupted now, as swirling flame tore into the once peaceful sanctuary of trees and flowers. The hot slap of wind erupted over the carpet of petals, burning them all away.

Soon, the patch of green was gone now, and behind Rorek, was a gigantic wall of flame, devouring everything in it's path.

"I'm afraid that I have used up my time here Lady Raven, my spell, despite its power, has already begun to weaken." Rorek said slowly, taking one long gaze at Raven, as if he wanted to remember this last impression of her.

"Wait." Raven urged, a small hint of vulnerability in her voice. The Titan tried hard to fight back the tingling feeling in her eyes.

"Please…" She pleaded. "Don't go, there's so much I want to say….so much more I want to know about you."

"Raven, I am just a projection, a spell, and no matter how powerful a spell is, it too, must succumb to the passage of time."

Raven shook her head fiercely, reaching out with her hand, and holding Rorek's

"You saved my life, I don't care what happens." She said softly. "You're still real to me."  
She stood there now, gazing into his eyes.

"Raven…." Rorek stood there, Raven's hand still grasping his, a tone of regret in his voice.

He closed his eyes now, the knight's image slowly began fading away in the flames as they consumed the rest of Raven's mind.

"I'm sorry."

With that, he disappeared.

**----------**

Raven's eyes widened open now, and she found herself staring into the eyes of her four team mates, all of them looking at her with a face of relief.

"Raven! Oh friend! You have returned!" Starfire jumped in the air, clapping her hands.

"Way to take the big bad dragon down Rae! Gimme a high five!" Cyborg grinned.

"Dude, you were like, totally kicking butt!"

Robin however, had a more serious look on his face.

"Raven, how are you feeling?"

Raven raised her arms now, and saw that she was no longer tied down to the medical bed. She slowly got up, and without even saying a word or changing her expression, walked towards the door. The four other Titans looked on with worry when they heard the last words Raven uttered as she left the room.

"I feel nothing."

With that, she closed the door.

**----------**

A week had passed, and still Raven did not leave her room. She had spent all her time meditating, to cleanse herself of the torrent of emotions she had experienced these past few months. Raven had always had nightmares about this, that her father's influence would one day return to haunt her. Now, it was no longer a dream.

As the titan floated in the air, levitating herself calmly to meditate, a whirlwind of emotion began flying through her mind.

She was angry, angry not only for being so weak, but for being so helpless as well. She found that the feelings she had once felt for Robin were now turned into some kind of poison inside her. She didn't want to speak to him, not yet, for she was still ashamed of her lack of will, lack of action at missing her opportunity. And yet, she was also angry, for it was obvious that Robin and Starfire had those feelings for each other, and yet, here Raven was, utterly oblivious to them. The others, Cyborg, even Beast Boy understood what it meant to fall in love, so why didn't she? Why couldn't she? Why was it just her, and only her?

Raven had felt the anger, the frustration at herself and towards her friends, and she found herself almost hating them, as a way of numbing the pain that was now wrapped around her heart. And because of that, she felt ashamed at the same time. Her friends cared for her, she did not have the right to hate them because they understood something she could not comprehend.

Raven sighed, the last emotions completely cleansed from her mind.

With a quiet descent, she landed on her feet, and left her room, the first time she had done so in a week.

The tower was strangely empty, as most of the Titans were outside going about their daily routines, taking care to respect Raven's privacy. For a whole week, no one dared approach her room, or even talk about the subject.

The doors to the titans main lounge opened automatically, and Raven for the first time, noticed how deathly quiet it was without her friends in the room. The kitchen was completely clean, while the gamestation Cyborg and Beast Boy had been playing was shut off, along with the giant TV screen.

Through the window, Raven saw that most of the titans were outside, testing out the new T-sub while it was still sunny outside.

"Um, Raven?" A nervous voice appeared behind her.

Ok, perhaps not all the Titans were outside.

Raven turned around now, and saw that it was Beast Boy, smiling happily, yet in a nervous way, as if he were approaching a lion's den.

"Er…Raven, I know you might not be in the mood," The changeling began rubbing the sweat on his neck, "but I made us some tea, over there."

He quickly pointed to the table, where already, two hot steaming cups of hot tea were waiting for them.

"No thanks." Raven said flatly.

"Aw common Raven! It's Herbal! You're favourite. You know you want to." A lighthearted smirk appeared on Beast Boy's face.

Raven turned around and sighed, "Look Beast Boy, I appreciate what you and everyone have been doing for me. But I'm fine now, I have my emotions in check, I'm not sad or anything, so there's no need for that 'everything is going to be alright' speech for me. OK?" She said in a slightly annoyed tone.

"Uh, of course Raven! Hehe." Beast Boy waved his hands frantically, as if he were expecting Raven to pounce on him any minute.

"But maybe we can just…..you know…..talk?"

Those hauntingly familiar words sent a jolt through Raven's spine, reminding her of the time when she felt appreciated, understood. And although the pain was still there, she could not help but feel Rorek's presence in those words. Perhaps there were more people like him after all…..perhaps she just didn't see it until now.

A soft smile broke on Raven's face.

"I guess I can handle that." The sorceress replied, sitting down at the table and clasping a cup of tea in her hands.

"Then after, we can have a rematch on the gamestation!" Beast Boy jerked his thumb excitedly onto the TV screen.

"Don't push your luck." Raven said dryly, taking a sip of her herbal tea while Beast Boy rambled on about something.

Despite that however, for first time in weeks, Raven finally felt like she was at peace.

**_"However rare true love may be, it is less so than true friendship"_**

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**_THE END XD_**

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**_stay tuned for Episode 6!_**


	22. TITANS Intro

note: this ep was written in favour for a friend, so this may seem a little random :D

EPISODE 6: T.I.T.A.N.S

It was a sunny day in Jump City, and for the first time in weeks, the city looked like it was finally at peace. No more Cinderblock blowing up things or Mumbo zapping his magic, just another average peaceful day, and all thanks to the heroes who lived in the Giant T on an island by the bay.

The citizens of Jump City, at last free from being threatened by supervillains, went about their daily lives, whether it was the business guy going to work, or the police man patrolling the streets, everyone was hard at work.

Of course, there were always those who followed Beast Boy's philosophy, maximum couch time.

And that was exactly what four friends were doing in their apartment flat. It was Saturday Morning, and the floor was already littered with chips, drinks, and other unidentifiable objects. The living room, or what was once the living room, looked as though a hurricane had blown through it, twice.

"Well lads and lasses, i'm all clapped out for today..." The young man groaned, as if he had a hangover, slipping off the couch.

"Oh come on," A girl, who was in her early teens, gave the guy a playful glare. "You called us over just so we could watch you sit in the couch."

"Meh," The third person, who had a very nervous face entered the room, she was a urlhttp/img. Brunette girl/url, and to her friends, it looked like she was visibly shaking. For some strange reason, unknown to the rest of them, she always thought that supervillains were stalking her. Must have been some badon-the-job experiences, they reasoned.

"I...It's ok, so far, no robberies, headless magicians or giant monster Tv screens...heh...heh."

"Sounds like someone has her knickers in a twist." The guy on the couch said sarcastically.

"Well I'm bored guys," The energetic girl on the couch frowned, "Let's do something!"

"What's the point? We've done this everyday, in the end, we're just going to wind up like this again." Another person droned on. This guy had a very urlhttp/teentitans. appearance to him, and just looking at him made anyone feel depressed.

"Blimey! Where the heck do you get all your energy from?" The guy on the couch groaned as he complained.

The energetic girl gave the goth guy a death glare, like she was going to smack his head down and rearrange his spine, this wasn't the way for four friends to spend a Saturday morning, especially after a night of partying.

"How about some Anime?" The girl offered, she was so excited that she looked as though she would explode into rabid fangirl mode. "it's so adorable!"

"You do know that they just recycle the same characters over and over again? and the stories just drag on..." Goth boy began,

"THAT IS A LIE, YOU WILL APOLOGIZE FOR EVEN INSULTING MY ADORABLE ANIME!" She accusingly pointed at Goth guy, hyperventilating as she did.

Goth boy shrugged.

"Um, maybe we should just watch some TV? Vicky(as in VIC-tim ;)), said nervously, pointing to the TV, hoping to defuse the situation.

"Sounds like a good idea! MOVIE night! But don't think you're off the hook goth boy! One day, when you're guard is down, BAM!" She pounded her hands together, "It's swirlie city for you! - ANNNND now i'm bored again." She sighed, as if all her energy is gone. "START THE TV AlREADY!"

"Geez, I'm on it, I'm on it" The guy on the couch lifted the remote, while still lying down, and turned the tube on. "no need to be a cheeky monkey."

"What did you just call me!" The girl shouted back.

"Ya heard me" The guy on the couch chuckled.

As the Tv turned on, the four friends settled down on the couch, and watched quietly.

"Nothing...Nothing...Nothing..." The guy on the couch said monotonously as he jumped from channel to channel.

Flip

And he passes the ball to-

Flip

A Major disaster appeared in...

Flip

KUCKAMUNGA! SEATTLE!

Flip

This program is brought to you by Boo-Yah energy drink. Nothing gets the energy in your life likei

Flip

Whoop Ass in a Can! Only for Ninety Nine, Ninety Nine...NINETY NINE!

Flip

"HEY! I was watching that!" The energetic girl growled.

"MEH!" The guy on the couch flipped on.

Flip

She walked cautiously towards the darkened door, a creaking sound emitted from her feet as the floorboards underneath her began to crack. She was only inches away from freedom.

Little did she know, behind her was the Axe murdering-

Flip

HIYA KIDS! Do you know what the secret password for today is!

"Kill me...now." The energetic girl sighed.

"Looks like nothing's one." Vicky replied.

"Typical." Goth boy said.

"Can you at least try to be happy for once Gothy? Even I'm getting depressed." The girl snapped, and gave her friend a glare.

"Whatever."

"Hey!" The guy on the couch jumped up. "looks like something's on."

All four sets of eyes focused on the TV now, where a very familiar landmark appeared on screen.

Presenting...for the first time anywhere...our documentary show.

Who are these five mysterious individuals that live on that T tower just off our coast? What makes these five heroes so incredible? that they are willing to put their lives on the line for us everyday? Well, for the first time ever, from the people who brought you Warp Trek Five, Comes...

T.I.T.A.N.S

"This sounds stupid to me." The guy on the couch frowned.

"I'm confuzzled." The energetic girl said.

Credits began rolling now, from writers, to cameramen, to even the people who the documentary was dedicated to.

"'Dedicated to Welshie's mate'? What kind of a stupid name is that?" The girl replied bluntly. "I can think of much better ones in like, five seconds, off the top of my head!."

"You're full of bullocks." the guy on the couch put the remote down with a smirk. If something annoyed the energetic girl, it must be worth watching.

"Quiet, i'm trying to watch." Gothy replied.

Goth boy and Vicky just sat there, already familiar with the material, watched quietly.

The credits ended however, and soon, the TV faded into a full view of everyone's favourite five titans sitting at a dinner table.

It was like a scene straight from a cartoon. The big robot guy, Cyborg, was eating bacon and eggs, Robin was listening to his music while drinking some coffee, while Starfire cooked a very sick-looking Raven some freshly made Glorg.

The Titans stopped eating however, and they just froze. Staring blankly as they all gave equally dumbfounded looks directly into the camera. To the four friends, it was like they were staring and talking straight to them.

"Er...who are you guys? And how did you get past my security?" cyborg asked.

"Oh!" The host with the microphone replied offscren. "We're here to do a documentary on Jump City's greatest heroes, do you have any comment to make to your fans?"

"What? I don't remember telling any camera crew to-" Cyborg stopped, then the titans at the table exchanged glances.

The answer came quickly as all four Titans turned around to look at some place offscreen, annoyed and angry looks on all their faces. They all shouted in unison.

"BEAST BOY!"

The camera panned towards the kitchen now, where a funny looking Beast Boy, with a chef's hat and spatula in his hand, gave a nervous laugh, wiping the back of his head with his free hand.

"Heh..heh, oh yeah...I knew i was forgetting to tell you guys something..."

(Fade to song)

Kyou mo kotsu ruuru wo mamoru yo  
TEEN TITANS!  
Suki kirai-naku nandemo taberu yo  
TEEN TITANS!  
Shin kaminari kage oyaji  
Boku no sansu ika shakai  
Kowai mon wa nai mo nai

Teen Titans GO

Ookiina koe de yonde okureyo  
TEEN TITANS!  
Onayami hanbun kaiketsu shi-chau yo  
TEEN TITANS!  
Papa no sukejuru kontorooru  
Mama no taijuu kontorooru  
Negau mon wa hateshinai

Teen Titans GO

1...2...3...4...GO!


	23. TITANS Act 1

**T.I.T.A.N.S Act 1**

The cameras zoomed in now, shaking slightly as it focused on an image of Beast Boy being surrounded by his four friends.

"You did WHAT!" Cyborg yelled out in disbelief. Beast Boy was known for doing stupid things before, but Cyborg never expected something like this. The bar was lowered yet again.

"Hehe…" Beast Boy chuckled nervously. "I…kinda signed us up for a documentary. It's just one day guys! My…I mean, our adoring public is just curious about us that's all."

"You do realize Beast Boy that some of the things we keep here can't be shown to others." Robin whispered quietly, to avoid the microphone of the closing cameraman.

"There had to be something." Raven said dryly, "You wouldn't do something so stupid without a reason, if that's hard enough to believe."

"Well, we did get something..." Beast Boy said slowly.

"And….that is?" Robin and Raven glared at Beast Boy, who shrunk back from the imposing sight.

"A…new….Moped? EEEP." Beast Boy immediately hid behind the couch, anticipating that he would've gotten attack.

"That….was it?" Raven said with a tone of irritation.

"You let these guys into the tower, not to mention give away our privacy and secrets, over a moped!" Cyborg yelled out.

"Hehe, well think of it this way guys. We've been saving the city like, dozens of times now right?" Beast Boy somehow managed to regain his calm composure, jumping back onto the couch and picking up the remote. "Well, it's only fair that we keep in touch with our fans. You know Cy, every girl in this city is watching this show." A sheepish grin came onto his face.

"Oh….really?" Cyborg's angry face suddenly melted down and his eyes widened, as if he had an epiphany. "OH well, I guess we can do this, for the fans."

Raven gave her forehead a smack, shaking her head. "Typical."

"Please Raven," Starfire whispered. "Why must we go through such lengths to please the electronic devices that generate wind?"

"No Star," Robin replied back. "A fan is someone who just admires you."

"Oh really? There are people like that?" Starfire said excitingly. "I, for one, am eager to get in touch with our admirers!"

One of the Tv people, a middle aged man dressed in an orange and green suit with gelled hair, obviously the host, immediately jumped onto the screen, holding a mike up to the titans.

"HEY everyone! I hope you're as excited as I am, because here, for the first time anywhere, ever, we have a chance to talk up close and personal with the one and only..TEEN TITANS!" The show host said at the top of his lungs, while the cameraman focused even more closely on the titans, who all gave a dumbfounded look.

All, except Raven.

"I'll be in my room." The sorceress said dryly, then disappeared into the hallway.

The other Titans meanwhile, shrugged. If they could take inter-dimensional demons, robot commandos and slimy monsters, they could at least bare with this.

**------**

Static appeared on the screen again, as the tube flipped to it's next location, an empty hallway of Titans Tower, while the host wasted no time in filling the audience in.

"Today, for our first segment, we will take a look at the dark, mysterious, and forceful leader of the Titans, Robin!"

The camera zoomed in on the electronic doors now, which slid open as they entered. Once inside, the camera focused on what appeared to be a row of lights in a dark room.

Instantly the lights turned on, and after a blinding flash the entire room became clear as day. The camera panned slowly now, the television crew silent in awe as the camera went around the room, where a wealth of objects were displayed on the walls and in glass cases. On the wall next to the camera, was an assortment of Slade masks, gadgets, bombs, laser rifles, tridents, you name it, it was there.

"This is our first exclusive look at the inside of Robin's room, quite a show isn't it folks?" The TV announcer said very quietly, as if this place were a holy shrine. "On the left, we see evidence of the Titan's past battles, an impressive piece of history here folks, and brought to you by the Warp Trek five crew."

The camera went around the room once more, then shifted to the right, and the audience was treated to the sight of a teenage boy sitting at his desk, pondering deeply at his next case.

The announcer went forward, gesturing at the camera to follow him quietly. Each step the cameraman took was slow, deliberate, and the screen jiggled with each step. As if they were trying to make sure Robin had no idea of their presence in the room.

Without even turning around however, Robin started speaking, seriously.

"What, are you doing here?" The boy wonder demanded.

**------**

_What are you doing here? _

"Hehe, Someone's going to get his arse kicked." The guy on the couch gave a wry smile.

"Finally some action." The girl agreed.

**------**

"Oh, sorry if we were disturbing you Robin, but we really wanted to get a shot of you working, the world is eager to know how great of a detective you are." The host said in a friendly voice.

"Well do it some other time, I'm busy." Robin went back to his work, focusing on the computer terminal at his desk.

A few more seconds passed and the screen flickered a little, but no one moved.

"The exit's that way, in case you guys didn't notice." Robin replied, pointing to somewhere off screen.

"Oh!" The announcer said in amazement. "What about this door? What's behind this one? Some new crime fighting gadget? Another hall of fame?" The camera panned to the left now, and it showed that the announcer was snooping around the room, and found a huge steel vault door in the wall.

"It's Top Secret." Was all Robin said.

"Well, perhaps you can give your fans a few words? I'm sure they would love to hear it."

The announcer held his mike towards Robin, but the boy wonder did not reply, did not even turn around. Instead, he just resumed his work, typing.

The host smirked, leaning into the camera.

"Now here folks, is where the real fun starts, watch as we get our first exclusive look into the Teen Titan's vault."  
The announcer slyly reached for the wall now, moving ever so slightly, in an attempt to open the huge lock on the steel door. The camera zoomed out, anticipating the sight of the huge steel door opening, yielding to them the contents inside.

Two steel flashes zipped past the camera, as the distinct sound of blades cutting through air was heard on the TV. Less than a second later, two sharp clicks were heard, the sound of metal on concrete.

The cameraman, stunned, jostled the pictured for a few seconds, but when the view focused, it showed the announcer, frozen right in his tracks, sweat dripping from his head.

Next to his hand, between his index and middle finger, was a bird-a-rang, which dug itself neatly into the wall.

"Top Secret." Robin said again, only this time, with a death-like tone.

The announcer got the message.

"Soooooo next up on the list, is Cyborg!"

**------**

"Aw man, I wanted to see what was behind that door." The girl said disappointingly.

"Why? Are you seriously that interested in seeing what guys keep in their closets?" Couch guy replied. "Remind me not to invite you to my house."

"Oooooh, I don't need to go to your house to guess what you keep in YOUR closet mate." The girl laughed.

"This is boring." Goth guy said, "can we switch the channel?"

"Only when you pry the remote from my cold, dead fingers." The girl stuck her tongue out at Goth boy.

"Whatever." He waved it off.

"That can be arranged." The couch guy gave a smirk as he cracked his knuckles.

**------**

The commercial was over now, and soon the program continued. The next shot showed a full view of Cyborg's garage, with the T-car as well as numerous tools and computers in the background.

Suddenly, a big green face jumped up in front of the camera.

"oh oh!" Beast Boy shouted excitingly. "Hey guys! Wanna see me top the world's tofu eating record! How about you guys look at my room next!"

The camera panned away from Beast Boy, focusing on Cyborg, who was polishing and buffing his car.

"So Cyborg, can you tell us about what makes this car so special to you?"

The mechanical titan looked at the camera. "What makes this special to me? What makes this car special? I'll be happy to tell you!" Cyborg went inside the T-car now, starting it up.

"One-hundred-thousand-horsepower plasma-turbine engine…" Cyborg revved up the T-car, and within a split second, the entire room was filled with an overpowering roar. A huge wind blew at the camera, throwing dust and paper all over the garage, while even the host temporarily lost his wig in the maelstrom.

"Megaphonic sound systems!" This next part came even more louder, as Cyborg hooked himself up to a megaphone that was so loud, it shook the very garage.

"all-terrain hoverjets…antilock air brakes…and an onboard computer that links with my systems—so I can literally feel the road!" The T-car went crazy now, as Cyborg showcased every available feature in a shotgun presentation. The car flew, fired lasers, even played rap music as it drove around the garage.

The car went to a stop now, and Cyborg stepped out, showing his favourite feature of all.

"And, it even has a cupholder, nothing helps fighting evil like a nice cold drink."

"That is amazing Cyborg! I'm sure your fans appreciate this demonstration. Do you have any inspirational words for the kids out there?" The announcer held the mike to Cyborg.

Cyborg's face suddenly went into a pondering gesture. "Hmmm I dunno? Don't forget to drink your milk kids, it makes you strong. Just look at me!" He grinned. "MOO-YAH!"

"And ladies, I'm single." He winked.

"AHEM!" Beast Boy jumped next to Cyborg, frantically putting himself into the camera's view.

"Hey guuuuuys…..are you forgetting about me? The guy who started this whole show! Common! Give me some screen time!"

Cyborg's smile got even bigger as he gave BB a nice little push off screen, into a pile of mechanical tools, knocking everything over. Normally, Cyborg would be ultra mad at this, but he was too busy with the host to notice it. The camera crew walked away as Cyborg led the host on a personal tour of his room.

"So, did I tell you the time I went back in time? Man that was tough!"

The green titan grumbled quietly as he watched Cyborg disappear into the hallway.

"This isn't fair! I want my agent!" Beast Boy grumbled, then paused dumbfoundedly. "I want AN agent!"

**------**

The Cyborg segment of the show stretched on for a full ten minutes, as the mechanical titan eagerly showcased everything he had in his arsenal. From a modified Gamestation X, to his plasma cannons, to an automatic waffle flipping machine, Cyborg pulled no stops.

However, even Cyborg got tired of the screentime, and when it became obvious that the host had more questions than Cyborg was willing to answer, the next part of the show became a tour to the more darker parts of the tower.

**------**

The camera jittered quite frequently, as the camera crews ran up the stairs to meet their next interviewee. It was quite difficult reaching her, because once she saw the camera team, she just phased through the wall into the next level of the tower.

"Stop. Stalking. Me." Raven said in an irritated tone as she stopped right in front of her room. The cameraman was visibly shaking as he saw her eyes form with white magic.

"Well at least let us ask a few questions, you are really quite popular with the fans you know?" The host said.

"So I hear….."

"Anything to comment about this?"

"No." Raven replied dryly, then opened the door into her room.

"How about some magic demonstrations for the camera?"

"No."

"An incantation?"

"No."

"How about telling us what you like?"

"Go. Away."

The door closed, but the host was quick, he reached his hand in between the two sliding doors and tried to get his mike into the room.

The doors opened again, to reveal an even more annoyed Raven.

"So Raven, is it true that you're father nearly destroyed the world?" The host asked.

At first, it look as though Raven was going to explode on the spot, but somehow she kept calm. She didn't feel calm though, black magic began appearing above her head, gathering like a mini storm cloud.

"I'll answer all of your questions with one of mine." Raven said emotionlessly.

"Do you prefer your spine inside, or outside your body?"

The host turned back to the camera and gave a nervous laugh.

"Um…next, let's see what's cooking with Starfire!"

**------**

"I like her style." The hyper girl replied wryly. "Kinda like mine."

"Are you sure you had a style?" The couch guy said. "Are you sure it isn't? Spaz?"

"Don't make me come over there." She growled back.

**------**

The camera soon went to a different view, focusing in on the huge lounge area of Titans Tower. It was a large room, with a dining area, gaming area, as well as a large computer and television screen taking up an entire section of the wall.

In the corner meanwhile, was Starfire, cooking another one of her famous Glorg recipes.

The camera focused on Starfire, who was humming cheerfully away as she stirred the pink-purplish substance in her pot.

The Tamaranian girl looked up at the camera, and blushed, because she suddenly noticed that they were filming her.

"Hello, how are you today?" She said with a smile.

**------**

Meanwhile, back at Steel City, a pair of speedy twins suddenly felt an urge to watch television.

Bumblebee was out on a mission with Aqualad, and with the big central TV busted, Mas was forced to get one of those portable small TV sets with those antennas. Unfortunately, the signal was so busted that it only worked in one place in the entire tower.

The Bathroom.

"¡"hey! ¡Es starfire del senorita! ¡Ella está en la TV!" Mas said excitedly as he jumped up and down on the toilet seat. His brother Menos was sitting on the sink, a pair of TV antennas on his head as he moved around the room trying to find a good place for it.

"! ¡Es starfire del senorita!" Mas shouted again.

"QUE!" Menos jumped onto his brother's shoulder.

"OOOO, ¡Miremos!" He said excitedly.

Suddenly, a loud bang came on the door, and another voice echoed into the bathroom.

"HEY! Are you two done in there yet! I seriously need to go." Speedy groaned as he pounded at the door, his hands clutching his stomach as if he were in complete agony. God damn Aqualad and his artificial fish tacos.

"sí sí gell del pelo del señor, ¡le oímos! ¡Apenas será un minuto!" The two twins shouted.

"That better mean you're coming out now!" Speedy groaned even more. Why did they only build the tower with one bathroom?

Mas Y Menos meanwhile, had their eyes glued to the set.

**------**

"First, we add A half a cup of dried zorka berries…" Starfire said as she poured them into the pot.

"Then …four tablespoons of melted sputflinks." She sprinkled the powder into the bubbling mixture.

"And to add flavour, I personally like to use bortha worm intestines!" The tamaranian said cheerful as she scooped a handful of purple-green entrails into her hands, holding them up to the camera.

"Care to try some? They are delightful to ingest!"

The camera shied away from Starfire, as if she had the plague, while the host nervously tucked at his collar. "Ah, I think I will pass."

"I see, then maybe you will prefer my other dish. Glorg supreme!"

By the time Starfire already said it however, the cameraman and the host were gone. The camera shook violently as the host ran through the doorway, hoping to find the nearest bathroom.

"I guess they were too ill to eat. Oh well." Starfire shrugged.

**------**

"Are those guys gone yet?" Raven said with frustration as she entered the room.

"Dang, I hope so, I showed them every piece of tech I had and they still didn't leave." Cyborg collapsed on the couch, tired.

"Well, at least I'm glad that's over with." Cyborg sighed.

"What do you mean! I barely got any screen time out of it! Man! What a gip!"

"And did you hear those guys talk about the pairings the people do with us on the internet? Man, that's disturbing. I got matched with a wrench! A wrench!"

Beast Boy smirked. "It's only natural my fans want to pair me with every woman in the show, because I'm gorgeous, uh huh!"

"This is pointless." Raven said dryly. "But at least we have some peace and quiet."

Suddenly, the host, and an army of cameramen arrived at the door, spreading out into the room.

"ANNNNND we're back! With more of our exclusive on the Titans!" The host announced. Music filled the room, while game show lights and effects blinded the Titans.

"Just one day….just one day……….." Raven repeated over and over again, a black mist hanging over her head.

"I don't know how much more of this I can take." Cyborg groaned.

"I'll buy us some time." Robin whispered.

"Hey Starfire! Those people wish to know about Tamaran." Robin shouted at the Tamaranian, just as the camera crews began to set up.

"Oh Robin! I will be most delighted to share my knowledge with them! Please! Ask anything you like!" The cameramen focused on Starfire now, while the host himself went over and asked some questions.

""That bought us some time, PHEWF. Nice move man, but are you sure you want to do this to Starfire?" Cyborg whispered to Robin.

"If anything cyborg, I think Starfire has more patience than any of us." Robin slumped back into the couch.

"SO Starfire!" The host began energetically, "Tell us what you like!"

"Oh, well there are many things! I like kittens, rainbows, the color red…" Starfire kept saying into the camera, counting off with her fingers as she rolled off the list.

"No Starfire, what do you REALLY like?" The host asked this question, and Robin immediately raised an eyebrow.

"Did I not tell you all?"

"how about a special someone? Our fans really want to know."

"Well I-" Starfire began talking.

She was quickly cut off as a Bird-a-rang hit the camera.

"Interview's over." Robin said darkly.

"Ok, moving on! Let us go underground and see the Titans gym!" The host gave a nervous laugh.

**------**

The gym was empty, for all the Titans were upstairs, trying to spend a few minutes in peace, well, most of the titans anyway…..

Just then, Beast Boy once again popped up next to the host.

"Ok, you did Cyborg, you did Robin, you did Raven, you did Starfire! Now how about me? I can show you how I kick butt at gamestation! At least let me have some screentime! For my adoring fans! Oh Pleeeeease! At least a minute!"

"I'd love to Beast Boy." The host gave a big smile.

"You mean it!" The changeling said.

"Yes, but unfortunately we're at a commercial break." The host turned to the camerman.

"ARRRGH! No! Wait! Can you at least fit my-"

"Annnnd cut!" The host turned back to the camera, and within seconds, they were packed up and leaving the tower.

"Aw, dude, this isn't fair!"

**------**

Meanwhile, as the host and his camera crew took a break outside by their truck, another figure emerged from the car. After the host checked the equipment, he went to the ratings monitor.

"How are we doing?" He asked the technician.

"This show is going fine and all, but unfortunately the ratings are still low. Not a lot of people have watched it."

The host was genuinely surprised. "What? Impossible, hmmm.." He stroked his chin.

"I guess the documentary was too boring, what we need to do is spice things up, take things up a notch, to another level! We got to try something new, something fresh, something everyone will spend wasting hours of their lives watching! Something that is repetitive, yet addicting. We'll do a reality TV segment!"

"That's it!" The host snapped his fingers. "With a little fine tuning, and a few interesting games, we're poised to take over the airwaves!"

The cameraman shrugged, not knowing what he was thinking about.

"Whatever you say boss." The cameraman said as he lazily ate a donut.


	24. TITANS Act 2

**Act 2**

The entire morning had been used up to make the documentary, and Raven guessed that she needed all the meditation she could handle if she were to make it through the afternoon, with all those cameras.

Thankfully enough however, the hallways of the tower were quiet. Deserted. Not a camera or tv host in sight.

With a sigh of relief, she walked into the lounge, the other titans were in the other rooms of the tower, doing whatever they were doing, while sitting on the couch was none other than Beast Boy.

Beast Boy yawned as he sat lazily on the couch, remote in his hand, can of pop in the other.

"Any annoying camera crews in here?" Raven asked, surprised by the fact that for once, something annoyed her more than Beast Boy.

"Ah no Raven, haven't seen any since lunch." The changeling replied.

"Good." Raven breathed a sigh of relief, taking a seat next to the couch. Peace at last.

"So Beast Boy, what are you watching." The sorceress asked curiously.

"AAAAAAaaaand welcome back! To another exciting round of T.I.T.A.N.S!" The host on the TV said excitedly. On the screen, huge bold letters spelling out "Titans" appeared, and suddenly the screen panned to a shot of Robin and Starfire in the gym, training.

"Oh just the new show on TV." Beast Boy replied lazily.

"So……. you're watching a television program, on a program, about us?" Raven said, slightly dumbfounded.

" I'll be in my room." Raven said, marching straight for the door.

**But wait! There's more!** The host on the TV said, and as Raven walked, the two sliding doors into the lounge bursted open, revealing a huge array of cameras and microphones.

The host, that annoying man in the orange suit, was back.

"For the next segment of the show, we will put the Titans in the ultimate reality show! Giving them various challenges and obstacles to overcome! You'll be in for a treat folks!"

"Go. Away." A black charka enveloped Raven now, as she tried hard to suppress her irritation.

"Um, of course Raven!" The host replied, "but first, a word for your fans?"

"Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos." The sorceress chanted, and within seconds, dissolved into a black soul bird and flew into the hallway.

"And there you have it folks, words of wisedom from everyone's favourite titan!" The host shouted excitedly.

**-------------**

Raven meanwhile, rematerialized in the hallway, even more annoyed than before.

"Ok Raven…." She closed her eyes, slowed her breath. Repeating the words in her head. Remember…control. Control. "Just relax….Remember, this is for one day only."

She took another breath, then began walking to her room. Maybe if she stayed there for the rest of the day, this whole thing would just blow over.

The whole hallway was empty, save for the quiet footsteps of Raven. As she walked, however, something disturbed her. Suddenly, an unnatural chill went down Raven's spine now, making her shudder.

Someone was following her.

She turned around, charging her hand and moving into an attack stance. Already, the advanced planning was in her head.

If it was an enemy, she would blow it to kingdom come. If it was another camera crew, then she would blow it to kingdom come.

Nothing. No one was there.

"Maybe I'm just getting paranoid……" The Titan sighed, then turned, only to feel something tug at her feet.

It was a piece of string.

"What the-"

Somewhere, around the corner, Raven heard a familiar sound as the string she pulled tugged on a lever, pulling a hook away from an elastic band that was stretched way back on the other side of the hall. On the elastic band, was a huge pink balloon. Raven was so surprised by this, that she did not even have a second to respond as a huge balloon collided with her face.

In an instant, the giant pink object exploded, splattering it's viscous contents all over her, and covering her from head to toe in vegetable oil.

"Aaaaaah!" Raven screamed as she lost balance, the oil dripped down onto the floor, causing the entire hallway to become as slippery as an ice rink. Her hair, soaked down over her eyes, blinded her as she fell forwards onto the floor.

Suddenly, the door to her room opened, and camera crews jumped out, along with Beast Boy.

"Haha nice landing Raven!" The changeling shouted out loud.

"Congradulations on being the first Titan to get 'punk'd'!" Another host, jumping out of the room with his microphone, said energetically.

"Just…..one day." Raven gripped her fists, while vegetable oil dripped from her soaked face, she didn't turn around, instead she just closed her eyes and clenched her fists on the floor. "Just………one day. **JUST ….ONE DAY…..**

The black energy was back now, and began wrapping around Raven even more fiercely than before.

"Uh…guys, I think it's time for a commercial break." Beast Boy said nervously.

"Oh, hehe." Beast Boy laughed nervously. "And I'd run if I were you."

**-------------**

"Aaaand...we seemed to have lost the signal with our other crew, but I'm sure Raven is taking it all in stride." The main TV host smiled as he joined Starfire and Cyborg in the kitchen. Conveniently ignoring the fact that the upper floors of the tower were shaking as petrified camera crews fled for their lives, in the background, the camera was picking up sounds of muffled screams.

"Anyways, back to our next segment of the reality show. Iron Titans! Here we have Cyborg! Master cook of the Titans, renowned inventor of the Cy-barbeque sauce, the man who is known as the meanest waffle flipper of this side of Jump City!"

"Booyah!" Cyborg, who had put on a white puffy chef's hat and carrying a spatula, waved to the camera. "That's me."

"And here, we have Starfire, maker of the most exotic cuisines, imported from Planet Tamaran!"

"Oh you will love the candy of cotton I have made today! I have shopped at all the finest clothing stores in the city to procure the finest cotton!"

"Uh Star….people don't eat that." Cyborg whispered to Starfire.

"Then perhaps they would like to partake in my homemade Glarg supreme!" Starfire smiled, pulling out a pre-made plate of pink and purple intestines wrapped in jello.

The host gave a nervous laugh.

"The two titans will compete against each other to see who can cook the best. The host, me, will select a main ingredient for the Titans to use in each of their dishes."

The host ran to the center of the room now, where a huge drape hung over a huge pedestal that contained some huge hidden ingredient.

"And the ingredient today! Is Fish!" The host yelled out loud, pulling the curtain away to reveal a huge mountain of freshly caught sea bass.

"Alright! I've been itching for a chance to use my portable Cy-grill!" Cyborg smiled as he opened his chest plate and flipped out a mini portable grill onto the table.

Robin, sitting on the couch watching all this, breathed a sigh of relief. At least Starfire can't do anything bad with fish.

"OOOOOOH!" Starfire yelled excitedly. "I have heard that fish intestines and eyeballs go well with the Portkin splufflinks from my home!" She reached under the sink and pulled out an even larger platter of green and black mucus.

The host paused for a moment as he watched the wretched pile of goo and intestines splatter on the kitchen table.

"Aaaaand, judging this contest, will be none other than the Titans leader, ROBIN!"

Robin jumped up from his seat, a look of shock and horror on this face. "WHAT?"

"And yes! For the first time ever, a Titans cooking competition, judged by a Titan!"

The host turned back to the camera now, giving the audience a wink.

"And while our titans cook, let's go to a commercial break! Remember! Always buy Cy-bbq sauce! To bring out the Booyah in you!"

**-------------**

¡"va senorita Starfire! ¡Demuestre que el extremo del metal que jefe!" Mas shouted excitedly into the portable TV as he watched the two titans take their place in the kitchen.

¡"creemos en usted!" Menos cheered loudly.

More knocks pounded on the door, and Speedy was yelling in a pained voice.

"Aw man, hurry it up guys! The tacos are tearing up my insides!"

¡"golpee su extremo con el pie!" Mas Y Menos cheered even more into the T.V set.

"Uh? GUYS!" Speedy yelled painfully.

**-------------**

"Oooo, a cooking segment." The hyper girl said. "nice"

Couch guy lifted an eyebrow. "I never thought I'd hear you say that."

"Hrmph. I happen to enjoy other things besides bashing in your brains for your information." She replied back. "I'm quite a cultured person ya know!"

"Ugh, please…don't mention food…..evil candy…bad." Vicky held her stomach.

"Whatever." Goth guy replied. "Just watch."

**-------------**

"And welcome back folks! Starfire's and Cyborg's dishes are in the oven now, so while we wait, let's go to our next reality segment." 

The Camera panned to the computer screen now, where a giant map of the city was flashing with several red dots on it.

"This segment is called, 'Attack of the Villains!'. Where our show will randomly select two villains for the Titans to fight, then we will see if the Titans can beat the villains, and make it back in time before the food finishes!" The host said cheerfully.

"What? You mean to tell me that you're purposely endangering other people's lives for this?" Robin got up, and walked to the host.

"Of course not Robin! Part of the deal our show makes is that they have to beat you in order to get out of jail." The host replied back in a friendly voice. "Besides! This is reality TV! What else can you expect?"

"Whatever, we'll talk about this later." Robin said seriously as the rest of the titans gathered around him. Raven and Beast Boy joined them as the red alarms began blaring through the tower.

"Titans, Go!"

**-------------**

Meanwhile, in downtown Jump City, things were once again thrown into chaos. Citizens screamed as they ran from the streets, avoiding cars as they were flipped and thrown in all directions.

"AND we bring you live, to downtown Jump City, where already, our mysterious guest villains are wreaking havoc on the peaceful citizens. Can the titans stop them in time?" The host said excitedly as the camera panned up close to the source of the explosions, already, an evil laugh was heard throughout the street, which was already littered with smoking cars.

"Hahahahaha!" 

"But oh wait! Look! It's our heroes!" The host pointed to his right, and instantly the camera shifted left to reveal a pan shot of five titans standing in the street. Robin stood in the middle, his arms crossed, cape fluttering behind his back, while the other four titans flanked him, all of them in battle positions, wondering just who this mystery villain was.

"We meet again Titans." The villain said, his figure concealed through the smoke.

"Playtime's over. Whoever you are." Robin shouted back.

"Whoever I am!" The villain shouted furiously through the smoke. "You're going to pay for that insult."

The villain walked through the smokescreen, revealing himself to the titans. He was humanoid, covered with black and white fuzz and sported two pairs of striated insect wings on his back. Killer Moth.

The titans all paused dumbfoundedly for a second, no one uttering a word. They left the tower for THIS!

Well no one said a word, except for Beast Boy.

"Was that the best they could do!" The titan laughed. "Killer moth!"

"Why you little- You're mine, ya little green freak." Killer moth roared.

**_-------------_**

Meanwhile, back at Jump City maximum security prison, a group of extremely familiar associates gathered around the only TV set in the room.

"This should be interesting." Johnny Rancid smirked as he watched the TV quietly, already a host of other villains were gathered around the set.

"GO DADDY! Kick their butts!" Kitten, her pink formal dress now replaced by an orange prison uniform, shouted at the TV.

"Quiet down already ya punk. As if I hadn't heard enough yelling from you." Mumbo grumbled angrily, sitting quietly at a table in the corner.

"You're just jealous because my daddy got picked for this show instead of you!" Kitten taunted the magician. "But of course! It was because of Mmmmmy good looks that got daddy a spot on the show!"

Mumbo sat down, grumbling even more.

"You know kid, I'm beginning to understand why everyone keeps breaking out of this joint……"

**-------------**

Back on the street meanwhile, Beast Boy was having a field day.

"THAT was the best they could do?" Beast Boy began laughing, the other Titans relaxed. This was going to be easy.

"Don't let your guard down." Robin said cautiously.

"Come on guys," The camera panned back towards Beast Boy. "This is going to be a piece of cake." He cracked his knuckles.

Suddenly however, the ground began shaking, and a monstrous, inhuman roar began echoing through the streets, stopping Beast Boy's laughing dead in its tracks. The camera panned towards a building now, which began shaking violently as huge holes began emerging through the walls. Something was tearing its way through the structure.

"You just HAD to say something." Cyborg sighed.

That 'something' soon revealed itself, as a huge mudslide of brown goo slide through the crack so the office building, slithering into the middle of the street and reforming into the gigantic, multi-eyed monster, known as Plasmus.

The titans prepared to battle now, but before they could even more, the host stepped in between the two sides, bringing a large microphone as if he were the announcer to a wrestling match.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Here we have Plasmus; formiddable monster! Unbeatable opponent! One of the most deadly villains the Titans have ever faced."

Killer moth chuckled as the host gave that description. Finally, a chance to show the world that he was no second rate villain! Fighting alongside a villain as big as Plasmus was sure to show the world that he was just as dangerous!

The announcer then moved towards Killer Moth.

"Aaaaannnnnnd in this corner, We have Killer Moth: wimp! puppy dog, slave to even the slightest whim and rant of his daughter, twisted around his little girl's thumb like a little-"

"Argh……..why do I always get the stupid descriptions." Killer Moth buried his face in his hands in embarrassment.

"Of course! But before we do! Let's have a word and comment from our villains!" The host replied back, the camera focusing on Killer Moth and Plasmus.

"FINALLY, my chance in the spotlight!" Killer moth smiled as the host walked towards him with the mike. _He's coming for me for sure! That pile of goo may be bigger, but I can speak!_

Just as Killer Moth opened his mouth to speak, the host passed him.

"Tell me Plasmus, are you excited about this fight? How does it feel to fight against your old opponents?" The host held the mike up to the sludge monster.

"RWARLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH" Plasmus began roaring.

"ARGH…JUST GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!" Killer moth growled embarrassingly, pulling out his laser whip and cracking it at the Titans.

"Attack!" He pointed straight at the titans, and on cue, dozens of giant moths appeared out of the wrecked cars, each one the size of a large dog, all of them flying straight at the five heroes. All the moths roared monstrously as they charged.

"O….K, maybe this won't be so easy." Beast Boy gulped.

"Titans go!" Robin shouted, rushing forward with two Tonfas in his hands. Two giant moths lunged forward, firing webs at the boy wonder, but Robin quickly knocked them out of the sky with a metal swipe. Another moth was sent reeling back with a steel tipped boot in the face. Three more moths converged on Robin, only to stop dead in their tracks as the titan threw three freeze discs at them, turning each one into a block of ice.

"You're mine!" Killer moth laughed as he cracked his electro whip at Beast Boy, who had transformed into a bull. The green titan roared as the whip wrapped itself around his neck.

With surprising strength, Killer Moth used both his arms and threw the green bull into a nearby brick wall, making a neat little hole through it.

"No one insults Killer Moth and gets away with it!" He laughed.

Before he had any chance to gloat even more, a sonic cannon blast sent him straight back into a car.

"Booyah." Cyborg said with satisfaction, his sonic cannon still smoking.

A gurgled roar emerged under him, and Cyborg looked down to find a large brown puddle of goo slithering its way under the car. Within seconds, dozens of arms sprouted from the puddle, enveloping the car Cyborg was standing on.

"WHOA!" The mechanical titan yelled as he realized that Plasmus had yanked the whole car from under. The creature formed up again, carrying the car and titan above his monstrous mouth.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven chanted, firing a concentrated blast of black energy that sliced Plasmus' arms off, causing Cyborg and the car to come tumbling down onto his body.

Starfire luckily, caught the robot titan in mid air as the car exploded on contact with Plasmus. Cyborg managed to squeeze in another sonic blast, which tore a gaping hole through the monster's chest.

Dropping Cyborg onto the street, the Tamaranian circled back, strafing the monster several times with her eye beams. Plasmus screamed in apparent pain as the eye beams ripped even more holes through him, so much that he began melting into a puddle and slithered away.

Robin meanwhile, was engaged in combat with Killer Moth, who leaped into the air in an attempt to place the titan in a lock hold. Robin, busy fighting off the swarms of moths, was caught off guard and grunted as two powerful arms squeezed his neck from behind.

"So Robin, any comment on the progress of this fight?" The host squeezed in the mike, holding it up to Robin, who's face was showing signs of strain.

"Look….." Robin grunted. "This isn't the best time….."

The boy wonder moved, and instantly gauging the situation, he bent forward, reaching his arms back and pulling Killer Moth by his wing, then tossed him forward in a judo-like move.

The villain screamed as he flew straight at the wall, only to be stopped in mid flight as Plasmus reformed in front of him. Killer Moth screamed as he found himself splashing straight into Plasmus' gut, his two legs sticking out of the gigantic monster's body, wriggling violently as he tried to escape.

"Here, let me help you with that." Cyborg smirked, then fired another sonic blast at Plasmus, which splattered him, and his passenger, into a nearby wall. Although Plasmus reformed from it, Killer moth had his head stuck through the brick wall.

Needless to say, he was out like a light.

"Alright, one down, one more to go." Robin took out three bird-a-rangs now, holding them like throwing cards in his hand.

**-------------**

Back at the prison, a huge uproar of laughter emerged as the villains watched their colleague stuck in the wall, similar to an ostrich burying its head in the sand.

"HEY DADDY! Did I give you permission to pass out! You're making a fool out of me in front of our friends! GET UP!" Kitten roared.

Mumbo meanwhile, was laughing in the corner.

"You owe me five bucks." Mammoth gave a smirk as he extended his hand towards Gizmo.

"Frickin… Snappin…Cod-fuzzen..razzen…" Gizmo grumbled as he reached into his pocket.

"You mean, you bet for my daddy!" kitten said happily, at least some people respected them!

"Actually," Mammoth chuckled. "We were betting how long it would take before he would get his butt handed to him. Gizmo lost by a minute haha."

"DAAADDDDY! Stop embarassing me!"

**-------------**

Plasmus howled in anger, throwing a truck at Raven as he reformed right behind her.

The sorceress turned around, and quickly phased through the truck with her soul bird form, while Starfire pummeled the beast from the side with a charge, pushing it into another building.

Raven meanwhile, watched with annoyance as camera crews filmed each part of the fight live.

"Alright!" Beast Boy shouted next to Raven as she landed. "We're kicking butt."

"This is stupid." Raven immediately replied back. "What kind of sick twisted individual gets pleasure from watching people bash at each other on screen?" She said dryly, just as a nearby camera focused on her.

She turned back to Beast Boy now, who was cheering Starfire on as she carried Plasmus into the air, then back flipping and slamming the monster down into the pavement, throwing up a huge explosion of dust and rubble.

Raven sighed. "Forget I asked."

When the dust vanished, a cheerful Starfire emerged with an unconscious man in her arms. Plasmus' human form.

The battle was over.

"Victory is ours friends! Now let us return home so we can enjoy my latest homemade Zorbian Glorg!" She smiled as she landed right next to her four other

"Uh……maybe next time Star." Robin said nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah, besides, Your glorg won't hold a candle against my exploding waffle soufflé!" Cyborg smirked proudly.

The host meanwhile, self inserted himself into the middle of the team and began talking.

"Aaaand with the battle portion of our reality show over, it is time for the Titans to take the ultimate challenge in the kitchen. In what we would like to call-"

Everything became silent, and the five titans looked at the camera dumbfoundedly.

"FEAR FACTOR! Titans style!"

"Why doesn't that sound right?" Raven said flatly.

**-------------**

It didn't take long for them to return to the tower, and once they got there, the Titans found that the host had prepared Starfire's Tamaranian dish right on the table, just for them.

"For the first fear factor, one of the titans will have to eat this bowl of…..of…" The host said confusingly as he found himself at a loss for words to describe the mass of putrid mucus, intestines and goo on the table.

"It's my special Tamaranian Zorbian Glorg!" Starfire clapped her hands cheerfully. 

"Looks…appetizing." The host said.

"The secret is in the spider juice." Starfire giggled.

"No way I'm touching that." Cyborg felt like throwing up.

"Why, it is one of the rarest delicacies on Tamaran." Starfire smiled.

"I'd rather take my chances with Cyborg's waffle exploding soufflé." Raven cringed.

"Guess that leaves….Beast Boy." Robin gave an evil smirk.

"Hey what makes you think I'm going to do that!" Beast Boy backed away in protest.

**"Because you signed the contract that got this show here in the first place!"** All four titans yelled at Beast Boy.

"Oh. Hehe….EEK "Beast Boy yelped.

"Think of it this way B, " Cyborg said with an evil grin on his face. The other Titans closed in now, reaching into the pile of glorg and holding a piece in their hands, advancing on a terrified Beast Boy. 

"At least you get more screentime."

"Oh….And if you need any help, please, **don't** hesitate to ask." Raven gave a rare smirk, levitating a putrid mass of intestine and worms into the air. "Say Ah."

Beast Boy screamed.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

**-------------**

"OH Man….I think I'm gonna be sick." Couch guy almost felt like throwing up.

"FINALLY, something good!" The hyper girl laughed out loud, nearly collapsing over.

"It has potential." Goth guy said dryly, while Vicky just hid behind the couch, too petrified to talk.

**-------------**

Back at Jump City prison, all the villains cringed back in disgust. Some plugged their ears to prevent hearing the disturbing and horrific noises coming from the TV set.

"Aw man, I've done some bad things before, but, UGH I wouldn't do that to my worst enemy." Rancid reeled back in horror.

**_"Hey Beast Boy, want some Spider juice with that Glorg supreme?" Cyborg grinned_**

"Oh man….and they call us evil." Mammoth twitched as another gurgled scream went through the TV.

**_"Oh friend! And do not forget some mustard beverage to wash it all down!" Starfire exclaimed happily._**

"OH man…." Gizmo covered his eyes. "I think I'm gonna be sick.."

"She's going for the mustard!" One of the random villains shouted. 

**-------------**

Suddenly, the Tv went blank.

**The next few scenes were considered too inappropriate for viewing, we apologize for this inconvenience**

Don't forget to try New. Blue. Zinthos.

-------------

The Tv came back on now, and the camera panned to an empty platter, which was once full of glorg supreme, then it quickly focused on Beast Boy, who looked as though he had been through eight levels of hell and back. The green titan groaned as he sat at the table, his face buried within a huge putrid mess of purple goo.

"Think we got a little too carried away there." Cyborg whispered quietly.

"Yeah, i guess." Raven shrugged. "Don't tell Beast Boy this but, even I enjoyed that."

**-------------**

Hyper girl meanwhile, was far from happy.

"AW MAN! I CANNOT BELIEVE THEY JUST CUT THAT! WHAT A COMPLETE RIP OFF!"


	25. TITANS Act 3

**T.I.T.A.N.S ACT 3**

The TV host gave a big fat smile as he jumped in front of the camera.  
"AAAAND welcome back to the final hours of T.I.T.A.N.S! Since this program will only last for the next few hours, let's see if we can get our heroes to perform even more grisly challenges!"

"This next edition is called 'Titans dumpster dining', before we explain the rules, let us cut to our favourite heroes."

The camera panned around the room now, stopping at a dejected Beast Boy sitting at the dinner table, scooping what appeared to be spoonfuls of pink glorg into his mouth.

Raven entered the room now, ignoring the cameraman as he zoomed in on her. She shivered involuntarily, not wanting to know how closely they were focusing.

"Beast boy, are you eating….. glorg?" she asked surprisingly as she made her way to the table.

Beast boy shrugged. "That's all I can taste now, I might as well try some."

"You do notice that all this stupidity is getting worse. This isn't even a documentary anymore, just a bunch of stupid, nonsensical cheap parlor tricks and endless mind-numbing action scenes to get easily-amused people to watch."

"Welcome to television." Beast Boy said as he chomped on another piece of glorg.

The host meanwhile, watching all this from a distance, whispered into the camera.

"We're going to have a new dinner reality show. On one plate, is Starfire's glorg supreme, while on the other, is a plate specifically made by our TV host chef, who used the finest ingredients out of a dumpster. Let's see if they notice."

"hmmmm." Beast Boy let out a surprised look as he chewed his 'food'. "Starfire's been improving."

"Beast Boy." Raven said dryly.

"What?"

"That's the garbage disposal unit."  
A sudden look of horror and realization dawned on Beast Boy's face, as he suddenly recoiled as if he were completely convulsed with pain. Going down on all fours, the green titan spat violently onto the floor, then ran to the sink to douse his tongue with water.

"PLEH."

"Oh friend, how about some pudding of sadness to quell your thoughts." Starfire, appearing next to Beast Boy, smiled eagerly.

"I never thought Karma was so cruel." Beast Boy groaned.

"Congradulations Beast Boy! You're the first titan to pass the dumpster dining challenge!"

"That moped better be worth it." Beast Boy gritted his teeth in unusual hostility.

"Well…actually…." The host smiled, pulling a piece of paper from his coat.

"According to the contract, the moped is included, but as a prize to one of our challenges! Beast boy? Beast boy? Can you hear-"

The Changling's mouth was left hung open.

"I can see that you have a lot of thoughts on your mind," Raven gave Beast Boy a pat on the shoulder (OMG, PHYSICAL CONTACT! That must mean they love each other 4eva!).

"I'll be in my room."

"MY. MOPED. WAS. NOT. INCLUDED!" Beast Boy almost snarled these words out, steam literally coming out of his nostrils like an elephant's tusk. He was a goof ball, never prone to violence, but he was suddenly realizing why Robin and Cyborg were trying so hard not to hurt the TV guys.

"But don't worry! With this latest reality show, we'll get you on the way to buying one!"

"What do I have to do now?"

"For a wad of cash, all you have to do, is let our agent spit into your face." The host pointed into the hallway, where a dark shady guy in a business suit gave Beast Boy a friendly wave.

"WHAT!" Beast Boy shouted in outrage.

"Hey." The host shrugged. "You wanted more screentime."

Beast Boy pulled the host by his collar, pulling him just inches in front of his face. "I wanted my legions of adoring babes watching me be cool onscreen, not getting spat on!" He shook the host vigorously.

"Please…..B-BBB-Beast…BBBoy…..CCalm….dddown.…."

"I'll show you calm." Beast Boy shouted.

"Nuh uh! Remember our contract!" The host annoyingly held up the piece of paper to Beast Boy, who instantly transformed into a wolf and jumped at the contract, biting it ferociously, trying to tear it apart.

After several seconds however, Beast Boy transformed back into a human, the paper still dripping in his mouth.

"ARRRGH…UGGGH!" He tugged at the paper, even biting it when he was human, but it did not ripped.

"Laminated." The host smirked.

"And I thought the villains were evil."

"Well it's either that, or this challenge. Make Raven laugh."

"Dude, you think I haven't been trying. In any case, I want a moped, not my butt handed to me on a silver platter!" Beast Boy protested.

"Well then, don't worry, we still have plan B." The host gave an excited smirk. "We've specifically hired the most annoying villain to set up shop in Titans tower. If he manages to tick Raven off and make her explode within the next three hours, he gets a prize, if Raven stays the same, then she wins."

Beast Boy widened his eyes in surprise. "Dude, where are you going to get a villain stupid enough to do that."

The camera panned to the other end of the hallway, where a solitary figure stood in the shadows, smiling. This villain wore a Red bodysuit with a hood as well as black arm and ankle bands with a set of goggles over his eyes. A large division sign in a white circle was visible on his chest.

"Why Howdee folks! Watch how a reeeeal villain handles this little humdinger." Billy Numerous gave a huge grin. In an instant, one Billy Numerous suddenly became a dozen more, the hallway became very crowded, so crowded that the villains began filtering into the lounge.

"Wowee Billy, let's tickle her!" One Billy Numerous said, holding up a feather he stole from a pillow.

"This is gonna be gooder than grits!" One Billy Numerous, with a banjo in his hand, smirked stupidly. "Imma gonna play her purdy country music."

"Look's like he's ridin' a gravy train on biscuit wheels there eh Billy?" Another Billy nudged another jokingly.

More Billy Numerous' appeared now, duplicating until the entire kitchen area was full.

"Pheweee! What is that smell?" One of the Billys held his nose as he inspected Starfire's Tamaranian Glorg.

"ATTENTION BILLYS!" One Billy Numerous, this one wearing a mexican hat, stood above the crowd. "Now I know y'all are itching to start, but let us lay down some rules since we're guests here."

The hundreds of Billys dropped everything they were doing, staring blankly at their leader.

"AW who am I kidding!" Billy slapped his knees and laughed. "Let's have a heck of a day and steal everything!"

The Billys cheered, all running out of the lounge with a piece of stolen goods in their hands. Leaving a dazed Beast Boy still sitting at the lounge table.

"HAHA, Great work Billy! Busier than a cat covering crap on a marble floor." Billy complimented another Billy as they detached the widescreen T.V from the wall, watching as three other Billy's loaded everything and the kitchen sink into a sack and began running.

"I can smell that money now." The other Numerous rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Like flapjacks in the morning." He too, disappeared into the hallway.

"Now let's go see where in the Tower the Billys will go next!" The TV host said excitingly as the camera crew and him ran out the door.

Beast Boy meanwhile, just sat at the table dumbstruck.

"I don't know about you all, but I've had more than I can take." Cyborg, coming out of his hiding place, revealed himself as the cameras left.

Robin followed suit. Giving the cameramen a suspicious look as they disappeared into the hallway.

"Something is very fishy about this guy….this host. First he's doing a documentary, then a reality show, and now random villains going out of jail and winding up in the tower? It's a little too convenient for me."

"Not to mention them releasing bad guys into the streets. Doesn't sound like anything legal to me." Cyborg commented. "Aw man, they cleaned out my leftover turkey!"

"Whatever it is, we're going to stop it. NOW." Robin said seriously, punching his hands together in a fist, "it's gone on long enough."

At that instant, the doors to the lounge exploded, throwing three Billys into the living room, unconscious and groaning. Through the smoking rubble, the three titans eyed nervously the silhouette of a Raven appeared through the haze.

"Ok, that was the last straw." She said flatly, her eyes blazing white as the scared host was levitated from behind her, and dumped into the middle of the lounge. "Don't ever, go into my room."

"I think its time you leave." Robin got up, eyeing the host with a glare.

At that same moment, the camera crews ran out of the door, holding their hands over their mouths as if they were trying to avoid vomiting on the floor.

"Wait friends!" Starfire shouted innocently. "Do you not wish to know all the ingredients and insects that go into the Hot Dog?"

"Ah, Robin, Buddy!" The host said calmly, walking towards the Boy Wonder. "I'd love to, but this contract gives us coverage for at least another day." The host smiled, pulling out the piece of paper.

Which quickly lit up in black flames, to the surprise of the TV host.

"Contract?" Raven said innocently. "I see no contract."

Before the host could say anything however, another presence made itself felt in the room.

"AH," A new voice, this one darker, and menacing, loomed over the room. "But I do." A dark mist began filling the lounge, revealing a dark figure dressed in a black business suit. The man's facial features were hard to distinguish, as his entire body was just as black as his suit, almost as if he were made out of Raven's soul self. In the figure's hand, was another contract.

Meanwhile, throughout the city, thousands of citizens jumped up in surprise.

"WHAT!" Couch guy jumped up, completely confused.

"O…..kayyyyy…let's go with that." Hyper girl said.

"I don't get it," Vicky said. "What's the plot?"

"This is reality TV, there isn't supposed to be a plot." Goth guy replied.

Meanwhile in Prison, the other villains jumped up in surprise.

"WAHHH!" A collective yelp of surprise echoed through the prison halls, which prompted Johnny Rancid to quickly run back from his bathroom break.

"What? Did I miss something?"

In the Titans East tower, the situation was just as similar.

"QUE!" Mas Y Menos said in confusingly, unaware of the whining sounds and desperate scraps at the door that came from Speedy, who was still waiting outside.

"¿Quién es este tipo?" (who is this guy?)

"Soul Taker." Raven said flatly, instantly recognizing her old enemy.

"Please, just call me, the agent, it has that sophisticated feel to it. But more importantly, thanks to this contract your bumbling host signed. I am YOUR agent." The Agent smirked, giving his suit a satisfying tug at the collar.

"Um dude…aren't you supposed to be like, dead?" Beast Boy asked.

"I sent you away." Raven said flatly.

"You know how agents and TV networks are my dear, they never truly disappear, when one is gone, two more take their place." The villain gave a satisfying grin. "But enough about me, let's talk about you. Thanks to your popularity, this show has completely taken over the air waves, right now, every person in this city is watching."

"Was there any point to having them watch us eat glorg?" Beast Boy asked in an annoyed tone.

"Or go through all those stupid reality TV challenges that wrecked my tower?" Cyborg glared at the villain, pointing at the disheveled mess the lounge was in.

The Agent gave a smug chuckle. "It amused me."

"And you're probably the reason the host was able to get so many villains out of jail." Robin asserted.

"Ah, I see all those rumours about you being the detective of the group are true." The agent said sarcastically.

"But what about our host?" Starfire asked innocently.

The TV host was silent now, shocked that he had even signed a deal with this villain that now menaced over him. Before, the agent had appeared in a human form, but this was too much for him, and so, with a terrifying scream, he and the camera crews ran out the door. The camera, fixed firmly on a tripod, continued rolling.

"So much for him." Raven commented dryly.

The Agent continued. "The host wanted a show that could help his sagging career, and his desperation provided me the perfect opportunity. I granted his wish, and gave him a show that everyone would watch, but with every wish, comes with a price. In exchange for that, the contract gives me rights to the souls of everyone who watches this show!" He gave an evil laugh.

"Can I hurt him now?" Raven asked politely.

_"-In exchange for that, the contract gives me the rights to the souls of everyone-"_

"BORING!" Hyper girl yawned as she finally changed the channel. This last segment was getting too stupid for her.

"Hey, who said you could change the channel?" Couch guy complained.

"Look, I'm in a bad mood now. We're going to be watching something else, and if you don't like it, then I'll pound your head down so deep that you'll be dropping your pants just to say 'hi'"

"uhuh……." Couch guy rolled his eyes.

"Titans GO!" Robin took out his bo staff, while Cyborg and Starfire both charged their blasts.

"Fools. I already told you. It is over. In a few minutes, the souls who have watched this program will be reaped, and this mortal realm is mine." The Agent gave a triumphant laugh and already a black swirl of energy was beginning to build up around him.

"Unless of course, You make me a better deal. Raven?" The agent said sinisterly.

"I see you still haven't given up on the whole 'trying to get my soul' thing." Raven said sarcastically.

"Your soul is the one true prize I wish to claim, it is ever so deliciously evil." The Agent said lavishly. "Give me your soul Raven, and I will spare your pathetic fans of theirs."

Robin instantly threw himself in between Raven and the Agent.

"Think again."

Raven however, walked forward, moving Robin out of the way.

"No, it's fine." Raven said calmly. "If he wants me soul, he can have it."

"Raven, you don't have to." Robin said fiercely.

"With the souls of everyone else in danger, it's not like I have a choice."

The agent cackled, extending out his black claw-like hand.

"Then….we have a deal?"

Raven scoffed, reaching out towards the Agent's hand.

"Deal."

Within that instant, Raven's soul bird emerged from her body. The room shook violently as a swirl of black energy wrapped itself around Raven and the Agent, creating a small maelstrom in the lounge. Chairs, books, pots and pans, flew violently around the room, while in the center of it all, the agent lifted his arms in triumph.

"Yes! Such power! Now I can conquer this pathetic mortal realm."

The black storm quickly subsided as the soul bird vanished within the shroud of the Agent's body. With one last dying screech, it was sucked in, completely absorbed into the villain.

"Uhhhh……." Raven groaned weakly, falling backwards, only to have Robin catch her before she fell.

"You alright? The boy wonder asked with concern.

"I'm fine." Raven said, breathing heavily from that vast exertion of energy. "I didn't give him everything, just the dark part of the soul he wanted."

Robin nodded, he gentle lowered Raven to the ground, then pulled out his two bo staffs while the rest of the Titans assembled around him.

"Titans, Take him down!" The four titans attacked. Beast Boy transformed into a raging bull, while Cyborg and Starfire let loose a barrage of starbolts and sonic blasts.

The Agent however, simply threw up a barrier of black magic in front of him, effectively canceling out the blasts. A giant Raven's claw bursted from the ground, seizing Beast Boy's elephant form in its grasp and carrying him high onto the roof, eventually smashing the beast into the concrete ceiling.

"Duhhhhhh….did anyone get the number of that truck….." Beast Boy groaned as the claw vanished, leaving him in the middle of a huge crater in the ceiling. Without the claw however, the green titan quickly fell down to earth, only to be caught by Starfire.

The agent chuckled, lightly brushing aside another one of Cyborg's sonic blasts.

"That was but a taste of what's to come."

A wall of dark matter began emerging from the ground, hugging the walls and slithering up until the entire room was completely saturated in black. Thousands of pairs of red eyes began appearing from the walls now, each of them blinking.

The Agent willed his creations to merge, so that one huge set of eyes began forming in the middle. Within seconds, a huge claw began emerging from the wall, reaching out. The apparition was already half out by that time, and it was a black creature, with a wolf-like body and a Raven's head. As it emerged completely, the creature let out a grisly tortured roar, shaking the entire room.

"I almost forgot how much your powers creep me out." Cyborg commently slyly as he backed away with the rest of the titans.

"Just buy me some time." Raven said quickly.

"But what are you going to do?" Cyborg barely had time to finish as Raven began running to the other side of the room.

"Alright, let's get this on." Cyborg cracked his knuckles  
The android's shoulder packs opened up now, letting loose a salvo of blue tipped missiles that came screeching at the creature. Within seconds, a series of small, but potent explosions ripped through the air, temporarily obscuring the creature in a cloud of dust.

"Now Robin!" Cyborg shouted, and the boy wonder ran behind Cyborg, putting a foot on his teammates shoulder, and jumping up to throw half a dozen freeze discs at the creature.

The discs simply vanished within the darkness of the apparition, and the giant monster Raven roared again, convulsing temporarily before regurgitating Robin's freeze discs straight back at the titans.

"Titans, scatter!" Robin pole vaulted into the air, just in time to avoid freeze blasts, but not fast enough to avoid the flurry of claws that emerged from the black walls. One claw grabbed Robin by the cape, and the boy wonder struggled as he realized that more black energy shrouded him, impeding the movement of his hands and legs and forcing him down onto the ground. The boy wonder grunted as he fought his restraints, but they did not budge.

"Now now Robin, try and maintain a little dignity." The agent smirked, walking up to his newly captured prey. "We're on national television."

Unbeknownst to the agent, Cyborg was steadily making his way behind him, waiting for the right moment to make his move.

The titan jumped into the air now, charging his sonic cannon to blast the Agent from behind. A gigantic stream of blue energy surged towards the villain.

"BOO-"

The agent turned around, grinning, a black portal already formed in his hand, which sucked up the sonic blast.

"Yah?" Cyborg finished as he was caught off guard by the agents move. In less than a second, the portal had reappeared behind Cyborg, and with it, came his patented sonic blast. A massive blue explosion rocked the air, as Cyborg was thrown right into the wall by his own attack.

"Two down."

"You will leave my friends ALONE!" Starfire shouted defiantly, diving straight at the Agent, both palms blazing.

"Ah, the alien." The agent said sinisterly. "Do you remember these?"

Thousands of small red eyes appeared above Starfire now, and the Tamaranian froze as a horde of dark four eyed birds emerged from the ceiling and walls, each one the size of a rat.

Starfire let loose a huge flurry of blasts into the creatures, destroying at least half a dozen at a time, but they continued their advance, and soon, swarmed all over her, pinning her down onto the ground.

"Such magnificent power!" The agent cackled, gripping his fists. "I've never felt such power. Soon, this entire realm will be- BLAHPLHEHEHEH!"

The agent stopped abruptly, as a spoonful of purple gunk splattered his face.

"Let's see how you like that." Beast Boy grinned, a plate of zorbian glorg in his hands. He quickly threw its contents at the villain.

The agent blasted the plate to pieces, covering the entire room with purple glorg.

It was the distraction Beast Boy needed, and he quickly transformed into hawk.

"You cannot escape me fool." The villain smirked, then unleashed a barrage of black claws to grab Beast Boy. The Green titan swerved skillfully in the air, avoiding the claws as they stretched through the air, twisting and contorting. When Beast Boy ran out of air space, he quickly dived down, transforming into a slithering snake to avoid the claws that emerged from the ground. He dodged each claw skillfully. First he was a gopher, then a fly, then a cheetah.

Finally, just feet away from the agent, he transformed into a lion, roaring as he prepared to claw at the villain's face. He leaped into the air.

Only to come to a dead stop just inches from the villain's face. Beast Boy looked back now, and saw, with some embarrassment, that the claw had grabbed onto his tail.

Before the titan could do anything else however, the black magic had already engulfed him, tying him up with the rest of his friends.

"How disappointing, I was expecting more from the famed Titans." The agent sighed.

"It's not over." Raven walked calmly towards the agent. Her cloak was off, wrapped around some square object in her hand.

"Are you serious my dear? I just defeated your team." The agent turned around, utterly confident in his triumph."

"Your mortal realm is mine now. What hope do you have of stopping me!" The agent, as if to demonstrate his new found powers, began letting loose a fury of black energy blasts. Destroying tables and furniture in clouds of smoke as a series of explosions ripped through the walls.

"What hope do you think you have of stopping me? I have your powers! Your strength! You. Have. Nothing." The agent boasted.

"You're wrong." Raven gave a sly smirk, causing the agent to give a dumbfounded look.

"I have brains." She threw her robe into the air now, uncovering the object that was hiding under it. Beast Boy's patented portable TV.

"You just got punk'd." Raven smirked

Almost immediately, the powers from the agent stopped flowing, as if an irresistible pull began dragging the villain's dark essence into the tube."Wait…how is this possible…..NOOOOOOOOOO"

A black wave of energy began flying out from the Agent, gathering into the form of a Raven in the air, while the agent's black form slowly began fading away into the television, sucking him in until finally, he disappeared in a puff of black smoke.

The soul bird, with a screech, flew straight back to its owner, engulfing Raven in black magic until it was fully absorbed into her.

In that instant, all the black magic restraining the titans disappeared, and all the titans were dropped unceremoniously onto the ground.

"Wow, Raven." Beast boy said incredulously. "What did you do?"

"Well remember what the agent said? That anyone who watched the show would have their soul sucked out of them. I figured he wasn't smart enough to turn his spell off." Raven explained.

"So….you're saying he….ate himself?" Robin asked.

Raven shrugged. "In a way."

"Works for me." Cyborg yawned, "I don't know about you, but it's been a long day!"

"Agreed, how about some TV?" Beast Boy smiled.

The rest of the Titans glared at him.

"I think I'm gonna call it a night." Cyborg yawned.

"I've got work to do." Robin replied.

"And I shall be in my room." Starfire smiled politely.

"Do you really have to ask?" Raven said flatly.

"Ok…fine…have it your way." Beast Boy shrugged, taking a remote into his hand and sitting onto the couch.

"Wonder what's on…."

**Steel City**

Mas Y Menos groaned as they woke up, as if they were in a trance.

Mas rubbed his head. "¿Qué acaba de suceder?"

"yo me siento raro" Menos commented.

Before the two twins could say anything else, the door to the bathroom exploded in a violent blast. The steel door was flung straight into the wall, bent and distorted, before it fell onto its side onto the floor.

Mas Y Menos watched in horror as the figure approached them through the smoke. His mouth foaming, and his eyes filled with rage.

Speedy dropped the bow, grabbing a roll of toilet paper before giving Mas Y Menos a death glare.

"GET. OUT"

"¡Corra!" The twins screamed, then hugged each other and ran.

Meanwhile in the apartment, couch guy and hyper girl were wrestling for the remote, the entire room looked as though a tornado had crashed through it.

"AHA mine!" Hyper girl said triumphantly as she changed the channel.

"Doesn't matter…you're program's over anyway." Couch guy laughed.

"You know." Goth guy said stoically. "Instead of fighting over the remote, why don't you just pick a channel we can all watch?"

"Bah, fine." Hyper girl sighed, still angry that her favourite program was over.

They clicked.

"Glad, depend on it"

FLIP

"He lines up the shot…and shoots!"

FLIP

"WOOWEEE, looks like this summer's gonna be hotter'n a goat's butt in a pepper patch."

FLIP

"From the makers of DB2, and TOSS… comes an epic so freaking cool it just-"

FLIP

"Hello ladies and gentlemen, I'm the joker, living proof that you don't have to be crazy to host this show, but it helps." drumroll cymbal applause

Flip

"A special thanks to all those involved in this, none of this would not have been possible without you."

FLIP

"Well-"

FLIP

"So-"

FLIP  
…  
FLIP  
FLIP  
FLIP  
FLIP  
FLIP  
FLIP  
FLIP  
FLIP

"PICK A CHANNEL ALREADY!" Everyone else in the room yelled at hyper girl.

Back at Titans tower, Beast Boy rolled back in his seat, relaxing as he grabbed something to drink.

"Those guys don't know what they're missing." Beast Boy smirked, not knowing that the other Titans were also in their rooms watching their own TV.

Raven meanwhile, with Beast Boy's portable T.V in her hand, watched quietly under the covers of her own bed. It would be a cold day in hell before Beast Boy would catch her doing this.

"So maybe this thing does have potential after all."

"Finally!" Hyper girl smiled, "Something decent."

"Now that we can agree on." Couch guy smirked as the entire gang settled down to watch..

Everyone became silent now, just as the credit started rolling…

_"When there's trouble you know who to call……._  
_From their tower they can see it all….."_Just another normal day of TV in jump city

**THE END**...

**Cyborg: NANANANAH SOMETHING LIKE THAT, OH YEAH...NANANANAH BIG FLUFFY CAT, THAT'S RIGHT!**

**-----------**

Please note, the (OMG THEY LOVE EACH OTHER 4EVA) is not a shot at BB/R shippers ;). It's just an observation i have made in the show :D. You KNOW it's true, with any pairing.

For those of you with no clue who the agent is…..he's a comic book character from TTGO 19


	26. Circuit Break Intro

First, I want to say thanks to everyone for being so patient with this story :D Life is busy, it is still continuing….sooooo enjoy!

**Episode 7 : Circuit Break**

It was a not so nice night in Jump City. A storm had approached now, throwing up huge waves against the city shores. A low menacing rumble was heard in the clouds as a dark storm gathered above the bay area. The waves were rough even miles away from the city, where the shore was treacherous with sharp rocks and cliffs. Following this stretch of coast for several miles, one would come across Jump City's famed "Ternion Block", a cell block so big, that they had to make an island just for it, for it housed the largest villains the Teen Titans had ever faced.

And now, one of them was breaking out.

Dozens of guards ran into the courtyard now, each one armed with a plasma rifle, while behind them, an armoured Abrams tank gave back up support. Normally for any other prisoner this would be overkill, but considering these prisoners, heavy weapons like these were the only ways they could guard this place.

"Code Red, Cellblock eight! Move out!" One of the guards, a sergeant, shouted out orders as the tanks and men got into position.

Another armoured truck skidded into the compound, coming to a screeching halt as the doors flew open, revealing even more soldiers.

"Go Go Go!" More men came from the van, all wearing the same protective suits and masks that were standard issue to all Jump City police.

The men lined up forming a cauldron shaped formation, with all their rifles trained to one of the steel doors, which was already beginning to give way under pressure. A monstrous roar came from within the building, followed by a gigantic slam as the door dented outwards by a little bit.

The officers held their place, even as the ground beneath them shook violently.

Finally the steel structure gave way, and the monster succeeded in blowing the steel door out, forcing several guards to dive out of the way as the mesh of steel and concrete hit a wall on the other side of the compound. The doorway itself, was now a mountain of dust and rubble.

"Fire! Fire!" All the rifles came to life, and the black night sky soon gave way to red lights as dozens of plasma lasers fired. Some ricocheting off the walls while the rest went straight into the dust cloud, where the monster stood.

The tank fired next, a high velocity shell exploded into a ball of flame as it found its mark, shaking the foundations of the wall even more, and spewing out small chunks of rock and concrete from the wall.

After that, the guards stopped firing, a low dust cloud settled over the prison as the roaring stopped. When the dust disappeared, the monster was gone, only the huge hole in the wall was left.

"Did we get it?"

The guards immediately got their answer as cackles of electricity emerged from the lights nearby, a constant stream of blue surged its way across the electrical wires of the courtyard, before stopping a power station in one part of the courtyard.

In a blinding flash, the entire substation exploded into a brilliant blue and white energy, revealing a newly recharged Overload.

"Fire!" The guards resumed their fire, but the lasers did not even phase Overload as he picked up one of the electrical generators and threw them with a giant roar at the tank.

"Run!" The guards in the tank jumped out of their hatches as the generator made contact, causing the tank to flip over its side as the full impact of its throw crashed into it.

More laser fire erupted from the courtyard as the guards let loose their volleys, but the energy from their lasers were simply absorbed into Overload.

With a cackle of energy, Overload magnetically lifted each of the guards guns into the air, and with another twist of his arm, sucked them all into his body.

The guards, disarmed in one sweep, turned to each other for ideas, and when none came, they ran.

"Mine. All mine." Overload said emotionlessly as a surge of electricity shot from his outstretched arms, enveloping themselves around the armoured swat car and dissolving it into dust, parts flew off from the vehicle as the entire machine was sucked into his body.

A spinning disc came out of nowhere, cutting Overload's arm in half in a blinding explosion.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's bad to eat before your bedtime?" Robin, standing on the top of the wall, had three more explosive discs in his hand. Around the boy wonder, four more titans appeared next to him, two flying in the air, while the rest, Beast Boy and Cyborg, stood on the wall next to Robin, all five silhouettes were highlighted as a flash of thunder streaked across the sky.

"Overload?" Cyborg said in disbelief. "Aw man, didn't we fight you not long ago?"

"Looks like we have a new record for the fastest jail break ever." Beast Boy said with a wise-crack attitude.

"They don't build jails like they use to anymore." Raven commented dryly.

"Overload will crush you." He shot his arms towards the wall.

"Titans, GO!" The four titans swerved to the side, avoiding overload's hands as they destroyed that section of the wall in a violent explosion. Robin meanwhile, jumped forward, throwing a freeze disc at Overload's arms and turning them into a solid popsicle just in time for him to land on.

The electrical monster roared in pain as he dissolved his arms, growing new ones as he sucked more energy out of the nearby power station.

"Time to get you out into open ground." A rolling barrage of sonic blasts came from behind Overload as Cyborg ran along the wall, firing his cannon as he moved. Each shock sent Overload reeling forward, away from the power station.

Black energy enveloped the flipped over tank, and Raven grunted with strain as she focused her energy, levitating it into the air and threw it straight at the villain. The vehicle exploded as it hit him, disorienting the villain even more.

"Beast Boy!" Robin shouted as he landed next to overload, planting a circular device behind him.

"Already on it." Beast Boy cracked his knuckles, transforming into a T-rex and crashing right into Overload with a bestial roar. Overload fell back, tripping Robin's mine and exploded.

The villain roared, as the explosion beneath him sent him flying straight for the stratosphere, where Starfire waited for him with charged Starbolts.

The Tamaranian dove downwards with both fists, slamming Overload in its stomach in mid air, and sending her giant combatant screaming down to earth.

Overload slammed violently into the courtyard, throwing up huge amounts of dirt and rubble.

The electrical monster was not done though, it got back up, just as ferocious as before.

"Overload. Will Destroy! Overload will…….URGH?"

This last imprecation was due to the fact that a drop of water had landed on Overload's body. Soon, it was followed by another drop. And then another.

It was starting to rain.

Overload make a high screeching sound as thousands of drops attacked him from the sky, each one like a small dagger that stabbed into his body. He was weakening.

"Looks like tonight's just not your night." Cyborg smirked, aiming his sonic blaster at Overload.

"What's wrong? Afraid of a little water?" Raven landed right next to Cyborg, charging her hands with black magic.

As she said this, a flash of thunder erupted from the skies, followed by an increase in rain.

Overload recoiled back from the water, but as the thunder grew more intense, the villain actually stood back up.

"No. Overload is not afraid. Overload. Will adapt!" Overload reached into the wall of a nearby building, pulling out a tall steel girder and lifting it high above his head.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Raven focused her energy into the ground, where several dozen water pipes were torn up onto the surface, soaking Overload in water.

Another flash of lightning came from the sky now, hitting the steel girder that Overload was clinging on, as well as sending a rippling surge of power through the monster, just as the water made contact.

But it was not the same, the water, instead of weakening Overload, actually conducted his electricity. Overload growled as electricity surged from his body through the water, causing the pipes around him to explode.

The Titans watched in amazement now, as Overload seemed to be growing as each drop of water hit him, causing his electricity to surge even more than before. Robin and Cyborg suddenly began realizing what was happening.

Now, Water was making him stronger.

"Now Overload is not afraid of water. Overload. WILL DESTROY!" The monster said triumphantly, raising its arms to attack.

"Oh yeah? Well that doesn't mean we still can't kick your butt!" Beast Boy smirked, transforming into a stegosaurus and swinging his tail violently into the monster.

"Beast Boy, Wait!" Raven shouted, along with Robin and Cyborg.

Overload, caught off guard, roared as the tremendous force of the tail swing sent him flying out of the prison courtyard and falling off the cliff.

Transforming back into a human, the green titan brushed his hands together.

"Another case closed by the amazing Beast Boy wonder." He grinned confidently.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that Beast Boy." Cyborg said seriously. "Overload's not afraid of water anymore."

"So?" Beast Boy asked. "Didn't you see me kick his butt?"

"Recall where we are." Raven floated down to Beast Boy's level. "And where you just threw Overload."

Then it dawned on Beast Boy.

Island. Surrounded by **water.**

The entire facility shook now, as a huge torrent of explosions ripped through the northern wall of the prison. The titans all turned now, to see a huge blue entity rising up from the cliff, towering over the prison facility. Cackles of electricity filled the air, each one so powerful that they could be passed off as lightning. In the middle of it all, was a super gigantic Overload.

(For this ep, i made a picture :D just go to this "http/img.photobucket .com/albums/v314/TreizeV/overload.jpg" note: Don't forget to delete the space between "bucket" and add a "/" for http)

"OVERLOADWILL CRUSH FOOLISH BIOLOGICALS!"

The monster roared, as more earth-shattering explosions ripped through the compound.

Beast Boy, needless to say, was a bit overwhelmed by the sight.

"Eeeeep."

The rest of the titans stood by, speechless.

Raven sighed, and instead of saying anything, just slowly, sarcastically clapped her hands, giving the terrified Beast Boy the applause he so richly deserved.

(Fade to song)  
-------

When there's trouble you know who to call  
Teen Titans!  
From their tower, they can see it all  
Teen Titans!

When there's evil on the attack  
You can rest knowing they got your back  
'Cuz when the world needs heroes on patrol  
Teen Titans GO!

With their superpowers they unite  
Teen Titans!  
Never met a villain that they liked  
Teen Titans!

They've got the bad guys on the run  
They never stop 'till the job gets done  
'Cuz when the world is losin' all control  
Teen Titans GO!

1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. Go!  
Teen Titans!

-------


	27. Circuit Break Act 1

**ACT 1**

It was pitch black on the highways leading out of Jump City, the street lights were usually on, but tonight they were not because of a power outage, and the long stretch of road was simply hidden in a blanket of darkness, making it hazardous to drive, even for the most experienced driver.

Not that it mattered anyway. In the distance, the roar of engines was heard as it was carried through the soft night wind. The engine sounds were soon mixed in with the sounds of cheering and laughing.

Two cars, a red sports car and another convertible roared across the highway strip, leaving a trail of tire marks and dust in their tracks.

"WOOHOO!" one of the drivers yelled as he honked his horn. They were two teenage boys, each one driving their own car. One was short, the other, tall. The tall one wore sunglasses, and sported a toothpick in his mouth. Both fit the profile of the typical 1950s street gang member: T-shirt, jeans, leather jacket. Despite their stereotypical look, they were pretty well known already throughout Jump City as Sammy and Cash, the two most petty car thieves in the city. Their most famous heist being the famed T-car which Cyborg had so painstakingly built some time ago.

But now, Sammy and Cash had moved onto smaller things, namely, the cars owned by the average joe smoes, who didn't have super powers to retaliate, and as the pair cruised along the highway in their stolen cars, it seemed that their strategy had worked.

"What did I tell ya Sammy?" Cash yelled above the roar of his engines, "Have we got it made or what?"

"I can drive halfway around the country with this baby." Sammy patted the dashboard of his newly stolen convertible.

Before Cash could reply however, the pair saw a strange eerie glow in the distance. A bright blue glow that was so powerful, it illuminated the entire stretch of highway in front of them as bright as day.

Cash and Sammy stopped their cars dead in their tracks, and gazed in awe as the light grew stronger, and the sound of cackling electricity got louder.

Then, in an instant, the single flash and sound turned into a huge roar. A blue energy zipped through the power line. The force was so powerful that a ferocious shock wave slammed into the two cars, flipping them backwards and upside down onto the road, while the power lines next to the highway became completely engulfed in blue electricity, which surged through the line like a giant fat snake. Only the snake was moving at lightning quick speed. The electrical surge lasted for about ten seconds, before moving along the power lines and further up the highway.

Back to Jump City.

Cash and Sammy meanwhile, were left in their smoking vehicles, almost weeping at the fact that their efforts to make a dishonest buck had gone up in smoke. They were so upset, they hardly noticed that their cars were stripped bare of electrical parts and that their hair was fried to a crisp by the electrical energy.

The silence was quickly broken as a motorcycle zipped past them on the empty highway, followed by the all-too-familiar blue car that carried the robotic titan and his friends.

"AH, not them again!" Sammy and Cash at first hugged each other out of fear, then realized that they were in the T-car's path and so, jumped into separate directions, landing into thorn bushes in the side of the road, with much protest.

As the Titans disappeared into the dark horizon with Overload, the two car thieves gave an exhausted sigh of relief, still recovering from the shocking experience.

"That's it Sammy. We're moving to Gotham City." A still-smoking Cash said dazedly.

-------

"Cyborg, come in." Robin picked up his communicator, even as his R-cycle sped along the highway, trying to catch up to the surging speed of Overload.

"Reading you loud and clear." Cyborg replied from his communicator on board the T-car.

"Figured out how Overload got this powerful?" Robin said.

"Not yet man, but I'll figure it out. It most likely had something to do with that lightning strike." Cyborg deduced.

"You can't give the lightning all the credit." Raven replied sarcastically as she looked at an embarrassed Beast Boy sitting in his seat.

"Well, it doesn't matter now," Robin said on the communicator. "What's important is that we stop him from reaching the city."

"You know how fast electricity travels? We'll never catch him there, even at top speed. For all we know, he could already be at the city."

"But friends, we must still try." Starfire said encouragingly.

"Don't worry, I've got a way to handle this." Raven said, putting her hood back on.

"Azarath…..Metrion….Zinthos" Raven closed her eyes now, using all her powers of concentration to focus her powers.

A swirl of energy manifested on the road in front of the titans, and Robin turned around to look back at the T car.

"What's going on?" Robin said.

"Just drive through it. Fast. This is very difficult and I can't hold it for long." Raven said with considerable strain.

"Alright, you heard the lady!" Cyborg grinned, pushing a set of buttons on the computer console and sending the T-car into overdrive.

Robin followed suit, revving up his R-cycle and speeding forward.

Within an instant, the two titans vehicles disappeared into the swirling vortex of black magic, which in turn dissolved seconds later.

The desert landscape which surrounded the titans suddenly gave way to an ominous dark veil, and soon, the landscape disappeared, their visions covered in black.

-------

They reappeared seconds later. The black veil that had covered their view had lifted, revealing their new surroundings. The desert landscape was now replaced by, skyscrapers, town houses, and street signs.

"Alright, we made it!" Beast Boy cheered, then jumped out of the car along with Starfire and Cyborg.

"Don't worry Jump City! The Titans are here!" Beast Boy said heroically as he assumed the stereotypical hero pose, one hand on his waist, while the other pointed heroically towards the distance.

No one answered, because all the citizens had fled minutes ago. The other titans stopped dead in their tracks.

"Dude….." Beast Boy said in awe, while Starfire and Raven took to the skies to survey the scene.

The entire street was filled with wreckage. The side walks were all cracked and full of craters, while all around them, upturned smoking cars littered the streets. It was like a scene straight from the carnage of a battlefield. Some buildings were reduced to rubble, while paper, furniture and thousands of pieces of glass littered the streets.

The titans were quickly snapped out of their day dream, as another explosion tore through a building behind them. A car was tossed right through the building, leaving a neat little hole in its brick wall, and headed straight for Starfire.

The Tamaranian swerved quickly to her right, avoiding the car, and watched as the vehicle hit the side of a nearby building and exploded in a violent orange flash.

Through the smoke, where an apartment building once stood, was Overload, towering over the titans. The thing must have been at least ten stories tall.

"MINE, ALL MINE!" Overload carried a police car in his hand, and within seconds, it dissolved into a mishmash of mechanical components, which were quickly absorbed into the villain's body.

"Titans! Take him down!" Robin took out his electrical discs and bo staff and charged, while Beast Boy flew into the sky as a hawk, trying to get a good overhead view.

Within seconds, the beast roared as a combination of sonic blasts, black magic, and star bolts assailed him from every direction. Cyborg dug his hands into the wall of a nearby building and began climbing, while fired a bolt of black energy straight at the creature, in an attempt to engulf him.

The black strand wrapped its way around Overload, and the monster roared in defiance as his arms were constricted in the black rope. While that was happening, Starfire took this chance to fly right up to Overload's immense face, and began pummeling away with her starbolts.

But Overload showed no signs of weakening, and the monster simply roared again, expanding his form until the stress was too much on Raven, and the black bonds exploded into a dozen fragments, creating a shockwave that threw Raven and Starfire back onto the street. The two girls groaned dazedly as they lay amongst the rubble on the road/

"Overload will crush." The giant creature lifted its foot, and held it above the two titans.

"Hiyahh!" Robin shouted as he ran alongside the rooftop of a building next to Overload, throwing at least half a dozen explosive discs at the creature.

The villain screamed as the small explosions ripped into his back, but as the giant behemoth turned, he seemed more angry than hurt.

"Back for more?" Robin took out more explosive discs, but he found that they floated out of his hand, as if some strange force was controlling them.

"Huh?" The boy wonder said in amazement as all the electronic gadgets in his belt began floating up into the air, as if they had a life of their own. Bird-a-rangs, freeze discs, explosive discs, all of them were floating into the air, magnetically charged. Robin at this point, was glad that his bo staff was made from a special non magnetic alloy.

With a roar, Overload threw his hands forward, sending the awesome array of weapons straight at Robin. The boy wonder jumped into the air, avoiding the bird-a-rangs as they impaled themselves into the wall behind him. Then he rolled to his side, avoiding the explosive discs that raked the rooftop of the building. As he ran however, Robin was suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, a freeze disc had found its mark, trapping his foot onto the ground.

"Overload will destroy." The monster cackled as it moved towards the building Robin was on, each step seemed to shake the whole building as the monster got closer.

"Yo! Spark head!" A distant shout, and Overload turned around to see Cyborg standing on top of a building behind him, his sonic cannon locked and loaded.

"Pick on somebody your own size."

The monster growled, turning around and faced Cyborg. Just in time to get a blast of sonic energy into his face, which sent him reeling back.

"Tin man will pay!" The villain then lifted his arms and stretched them out, as if he were preparing to slice down onto the building that Cyborg was standing on.

Cyborg however, didn't move, instead, he stood confidently on the rooftop, arms crossed.

"RRRWARRRR!" The electrical monster shot his arms forward, but stopped as a huge shadow loomed over him.

In that instant, Overload was flattened, a giant blue whale fell from the sky, crushing the electrical foe in a huge cloud of dust and rubble. The impact was so powerful, that all the remaining windows of the nearby buildings exploded from the shockwave. When the dust settled, a giant whale-shaped crater was imprinted into the street.

"Booyah." Cyborg grinned.

Beast Boy transformed back into a human, and Starfire and Raven, having recovered themselves, joined the green titan as he stood in the crater.

A deathly silence fell over the battle scarred street now, which was almost totaled from the fight.

Overload was gone.

"Dude….where did he go?" Beast Boy scratched his head.  
"Not bad B," Cyborg said over the communicator, although he was almost a whole block away, on top of a building, he gave a thumbs up to Beast Boy, who replied back with his own.

"So friends….are we victorious?" Starfire asked as she landed next to Raven.  
.  
..

"Cyborg!" This came from Robin, who was still on the rooftop. "Behind you!"

"Huh?" Cyborg turned around now and saw the ten story tall Overload standing right behind him.

"Cyborg!" The other titans rushed forward.

It was too late.

With a ferocious swing of his arm, Overload sliced right through the building. Cyborg disappeared as several large explosions racked through the building, instantly converting it into a mass of rubble. 

When the smoke cleared, the building was cut in half, from top to bottom. Instead of one building, there were now two jagged towers of concrete and steel left, while in the middle, was a mountain of bricks and rubble.

Growling heavily, Overload turned around, ignoring the titans as if they were insignificant insects, and continued his path of destruction across downtown.

"Cyborg!" Beast Boy ran towards the rubble, transforming into a gopher and immediately began digging, while Starfire and Raven followed suit.

"Hyaah!" The Tamaranian shouted fiercely as she used all her strength to lift a huge collapsed section of wall off the rubble, which gave Raven the room she need to telepathically lift the rocks off.

Robin appeared now, and joined in the digging.

"Hang in there buddy!" Beast Boy, back in human form, vigorously attacked the pile of stones. While Robin joined it.

Starfire gasped, and the rest of the Titans turned around to see that she held a piece of Cyborg's arm in her hand. The blue cybernetic limb was torn and shattered, and was literally just dangling by a wire.

"Keep searching!" Beast Boy shouted, a pang of guilt already etched on his face.

_This is all my fault…_

"Guys." Raven said flatly, and the rest of the titans gathered around the sorceress.

The last rocks were lifted off now, and the four titans watched quietly as they saw their friend, thankfully still in one piece, save the arm. The blue lights of his cybernetic components however, were faded out, Cyborg was just black and grey.

"No….."

-------


	28. Circuit Break Act 2

There was a vast empty darkness now, and Cyborg found himself floating quietly amongst a huge black void. Nothing stirred, not a sound was made, and Cyborg look around uneasily.

"Hello?"

There was no answer, and Cyborg immediately felt his own body tense up, as if a small panic had seized him.

He was alone.

"Guys…..?"

Nothing.

Cyborg began breathing heavily, nervously.

Then suddenly a small sound echoed through his mind. The sound machinery and power tools, accompanied by the sickening whirring sounds of a drill, which stabbed into his mind like a dagger. Cyborg tried to move his hands, to hold them over his head, but he didn't sense anything, couldn't move any part of him, and so he closed his eyes, hoping the sounds would go away.

The sounds of the accident.

_"Why did you do this to me old man?" Victor screamed at his father. "Why couldn't you just let me di-" _

A sudden metallic slam shut everything up, and Cyborg, at the brink of screaming, suddenly took slower, calmer breaths.

Cyborg felt strangely at ease now, as if a burden had been lifted from him, even though he was still floating in that dark space.

Then the light came. A green blinking light that flashed before his eyes.  
..PROGRAM ONLINE………..REPAIRS COMPLETE...  
INITIALIZING…. ….. …..

A horizontal band of white light crossed the screen now, and began to widen, blinding Cyborg with a brilliant flash. As the brightness disappeared, his vision adjusted with a computerized 'beep' and Cyborg focused on his surroundings.

There were strong circular overhead lights in the room, and Cyborg gave a weak groan as he turned his head over. His systems were working, but he still felt like he got hit by a tank.

"Awaken." A calm, monotonic voice spoke next to Cyborg. The Robotic titan turned around to see the other person in the room. The figure was a tall android, swathed in a long dark blue robe with two glowing blue slits for eyes on his flat metallic face. It was Cyborg's friend, Fixit.

"I did not believe that it would be necessary to repair you twice. Friend." Fixit said in a flat, almost emotionless tone, although he let out a smile.

"Ugh…how long have I been here?" Cyborg rubbed his head.

"Your friends brought you in here for repairs……a few hours ago. It is morning now Cyborg." Fixit said calmly.

"What? Already? I gotta get out there!" Cyborg instantly jumped off the operating table, but Fixit raised his hand gently, quietly gesturing at Cyborg to lie back down. Except this time, he didn't use force.

"Your leader, Robin, was quiet adamant about you staying for repairs. Besides. Your battery was critically damaged in the fight. For now, I am powering you."

"Huh?" Cyborg said in confusion, then he turned around and suddenly realized the wires sticking out of his back, and into a nearby power generator.

"I guess I have no choice then." Cyborg shrugged.

Fixit nodded. "Yes, you should rest , and perhaps….get sleep. Were you dreaming…friend?"

"Yeah, a nightmare, but it's nothing."

Fixit gave Cyborg a blank stare for a second, and an awkward silence broke out between the two friends.

Then Fixit continued.

"I am very interested in knowing how these….dreams work." Fixit said in his measured voice.

"Trust me Fix, it's not that much to get excited about." Cyborg smirked. "Besides." He said in a serious tone. "Most of the time, I get nightmares anyway."

"And yet you choose to keep dreaming…..why?" Fixit asked.

"Because its just a part of being me." Cyborg shrugged, honestly, he didn't really know the answer himself.

"I see." Fixit said in his usual monotone voice. Then he turned around, turning his head to face Cyborg.

"In any case. Since you do not appear tired, I wish to show you something Cyborg. Come. It has been so long since I've had visitors. Perhaps you would like to see what I have done since you have been gone. It will take a few more minutes before your new battery is fully charged."

Fixit pointed to the power cords that stuck out from Cyborg's chest.

Cyborg shrugged. "Sure, why not?" It had been awhile since he had kept in touch with his friend.

As he got up, Cyborg observed his surroundings. Fixit's home in the Jump City junkyard was the same as it had been since the last time he came here. There was a large central chamber, a circular room where all of Fixit's robots gathered. The room was barely lit, only by the large overhead lights in the center of the room with the operating table. Cyborg walked uneasily as thousands of small robots peered at him from the darkened edges of the room, their small red eyes dotting the entire wall as if an army of insidious creatures lurked in the darkness.

Even if Fixit was his friend, he never did get used to that sight.

Fixit however, continued walking, and Cyborg followed his friend into another dark hall, he had never seen this place before. Fix must have expanded his home beneath the Junkyard, for the hallway seemed to stretch for several hundred meters. The hall of course, could be more accurately described as a tunnel, since the walls were completely made from garbage and muddied soil. Comes with the location, Cyborg thought.

After walking for a minute, while hooking himself up to a portable battery Fixit lent him, they reached their destination.

"We are here friend." Fixit nodded quietly, and with a slight movement, opened the door leading into another chamber.

Only this chamber wasn't like the rest of them, as the door creaked open, a huge wall of light immediately blinded Cyborg, and by the time he adjusted his vision, he could see now that this room was not like the others.

It was an aviary. And Cyborg stood there, silent in awe as he saw not only the bright lights in the room, but the green grass, pristine clear water from a nearby park fountain, not to mention a large tree in the center of the room, whose outstretching branches grew to encompass almost the whole skylight.

What was even more amazing however, were about a dozen birds that flew around the tree. There were a few Robins, sparrows and pigeons, that nested in the tree. While some others bathed in the fountain while mother birds fed their chicks in the nests.

"Wow…" Cyborg said in awe. "It's…beautiful."

"I am glad that you like it." Fixit replied. "I have not forgotten about last time, what you have showed me. So I built this. To remind myself of the beauty that is outside these walls."

"But…man, this is just amazing. How did you do it?"

Fixit stretched his hand out now, and as if on command, A small blue jay landed gently on his finger, grooming its feathers as Fixit spoke.

"I have had much time Cyborg. It wasn't too difficult."

Cyborg nodded, then turned around to Fixit, a look of concern on his face. "You know, why can't you just go outside? I do it all the time."

Fixit shook his head firmly. "No, my place is here, with my own friends." Fixit lifted his arm now, and the small blue jay flew back into the tree.

"Besides, we are. Different." Fixit said.

Cyborg shook his head. "We both know what it's like to deal with what we are."

Fixit did not reply.

"Don't you ever miss the outside world Fix." Cyborg asked, changing the uneasy subject.

"I appreciate its beauty." Fix said.

"And your machines?" Cyborg said.

"I repair them, and it makes me happy, is that not a good thing?"

Oh, I'm not saying it's bad at all Fix, but….It's just not the same thing. Look, You can't spend the rest of your life living like this, in the darkness. Haven't you ever wished you were outside, breathing fresh air and looking at the sun?" Cyborg spoke with a concern he would give only to his friends.

"I see no reason for me to leave. I have everything I need here." Fixit said.

"Yeah, but doesn't it ever get lonely?"

"It has been awhile. Since I have spoken with those from the outside." Fixit said softly.

"Well, there's nothing to be worried about, you don't need to be afraid. Maybe I can help you out there." Cyborg said comfortingly.

"Perhaps. Perhaps…I have been wondering what it is like. Outside." Fixit said, pondering.

"Well, tell me if you change your mind, we could use another techy at the tower, with the rate Beast boy wrecks things." Cyborg smiled.

"Are you sure…they will accept?"

"Well, let's see. Last I checked, Robin's been handing out communicators like the Easter Bunny. As long as you are alive and breathing… YUP he'll make you part of the team."

"I do not require breathing." Fixit said flatly.

"It doesn't matter. Overrated anyway." Cyborg joked, although deep down he cursed himself for stumbling on that subject.

Suddenly, Cyborg's arm communicator went on.

"This is Cyborg."

"Cyborg, are you alright? It's been hours-" Robin said.

"Yeah man, I'm fine. Just need a little fine tuning and I'll be on my way. Can you handle Overload without me?" Cyborg asked.

"Yeah, no problem." Robin said, just as a terrified Beast Boy ran in the background, a rolling ball of electricity screaming after him.

_"run for your lives!" Beast Boy screamed, afterwards a huge explosion shook the screen._

Robin gave a peeved look and focused back on the communicator. "Just focus on getting better, Robin out." The screen went blank.

"Alright Fix. I think its time for me to head now. Cyborg checked his systems now, and the meter read 'fully charged'. He began unplugging the wires that hooked him to Fixit's computers. He then headed for the door.

Before he left however, Cyborg turned around, as if something had just hit his mind.

"You know, we could sure use your help Fix." Cyborg asked. "It would make a big difference."

Fixit thought for a moment. "Of course. Analysis will be required, I can send a drone out to do it."

"I was thinking that maybe you should come along too." Cyborg said patiently, making it as supporting as he could. He didn't want his friend to live the same way he had back then…..all alone.

"I am. Not sure." Fixit said hesitantly.

"It's alright Fix, I know how this feels." Cyborg reassured his friend. He then tapped his metallic arm. "But holing yourself in a tunnel isn't going to make it go away. It's a part of you, but it doesn't change who you are."

"You are very different from last time Friend." Fixit noticed.

"People change I guess." Cyborg smiled. "I guess I just learned to deal with it." The two friends walked quietly along the tunnel that led to the surface.

The door opened now, and Cyborg held out a helping hand to his friend. "Maybe it's time to step back into the light."

"Perhaps…..maybe it is best." Fixit let out a small smile.

"Ok…well, first things first, we need to find out what's making Overload tick right now." The titan said.

"I will need to prepare the necessary tools first." Fixit turned around now, heading back to the main chamber, before he did however, he turned his head back to Cyborg.

"If I am to develop a solution to this problem, then I shall require information about this, Overload."

Cyborg nodded "I'll explain later Fix, but for now, It's great to have you on the team." The Robotic Titan gave him a thumbs-up, then ran out the door, to the surface.

Towards sunlight.

Citizens screamed in panic as they ran away from the site of the battle, which was already taking up a significant portion of downtown. Even from a distance, billowing clouds of smoke and explosions reverberated through the city, and clouds of dust and flame were seen amongst the skyline of the city.

The battle had lasted almost all night through dawn, and the titans were slowing down from exhaustion, but the good news was, even Overload looked as though he was nearing his limit. With each small attack, they gradually wore down the electrical monster, until he was almost at normal size.

Maybe they had a chance after all, even without Cyborg.

Starfire gave a battle cry as she slammed right through Overload's stomach, her green starbolts burning a neat hole into the creature's massive torso, causing it to scream in pain. But within seconds, the villain stopped screeching, and reformed his body to what it once was.

Robin and Beast Boy were on the street, right in the monster's path, the two titans leaned against the wall of a ruined building, still catching their breath.

"Dude…." Beast Boy breathed heavily. "Dunno…how much longer…I can keep it up."

"We can't give up." Robin said with determination, taking out his bo staff and rushing towards Overload. "If he continues, he can destroy the whole city."

A steady barrage of Starbolts raked the villain, and when he finally had enough, Overload gave a bloody roar, expanding himself into a ball of light until a large shock wave of energy expelled from him, covering a radius of about a hundred feet. Starfire screamed, knocked down from the sky and crashing into a nearby car.

Before Overload could finish off his opponent, Robin was already in front of his face, slamming his bo staff into the computer chip that made up Overload's face.

But as the bo staff made contact, a surge of electricity wrapped around Robin's body. The sparks lifted the pained boy wonder into the air, until finally the titan was thrown aside, landing onto the cracked sidewalk.

Beast Boy tried his hand next, jumping in front of Robin to cover his friend, he transformed into a Rhino and charging straight towards the monster, only to receive the massive shock of his lifetime as Overload met Beast Boy with his own charge. The two behemoths met in the middle of the street, and with a colossal explosion, Beast Boy was sent reeling backwards through the smoke, landing just next to Robin in his human form.

"Got any other bright ideas?" Robin asked.

Beast Boy took the moment to ponder, resting his chin on his hand.

Then he snapped his fingers.

"I know! How about we use the Titans bot! All we need is the T-sub! We got the cycle and the T-car!"

A hand tapped Beast Boy's shoulder, and the green titan turned around to see Raven, pointing out flatly to Beast Boy what Overload was now holding in his arm.

"Overload will assimilate." The villain cackled, grabbing both ends of the T-car with his monstrous arms and breaking it into its small electronic components. When the pressure got too strong, the T-car simply exploded. The tires were shot out by the blast, while the axels and undercarriage were simply turned into a mass of twisted, burning metal, still in Overload's hand.

"O…Cyborg's not gonna be happy about that." Beast Boy commented briefly.

"You think?" Raven replied sarcastically. Then she put her hood back on.

"We'll do this my way."

Overload, taking the opportunity to attack before the exhausted titans could recover, lunged his arms forward, dropping the piece of metal back onto the ground.

The surge blast from Overload was quickly blocked off by Raven's black shield.

"No." The sorceress said flatly, as if she ran out of patience long ago. She stretched out her arms.

"Azarath…..." The street slowly began shaking as pieces of concrete and rubble rose in the air. A thick veil soon hung over the entire city block, and the air was thick with floating rocks.

"Metrion…..." Her eyes began cackling with black energy, along with her outstretched arms, the small rumbles quickly escalated into a giant tremor. Overload stood there, as if wondering what the titan was trying to do next.

Then it dawned on Overload as the two buildings next to him were torn off their foundations. Slowly, but surely, the tall office buildings were being levitated, shaking the entire street as Raven's power required massive amounts of concentration.

"ZINTHOS!" With one release, Raven brought both her outstretched hands together.

As if on cue, the floating buildings slammed violently into each other, grinding Overload right in the middle as the two structures collapsed into each other. A roaring avalanche of stone, mortar and concrete resulted from the collision, and Overload disappeared under a massive cloud of rubble.

Robin and Beast Boy managed to gather themselves up now, and Starfire limped her way to the scene, still not fully recovered.

Another awkward silence broke over the battlefield.

"So…did we get him?" Beast Boy asked.

The rubble mountain exploded now, revealing an enraged Overload standing at the top.

Raven twitched slightly, turning around with an irritated look at Beast Boy. "You just had to say it. Again."

"Eep."

"Overload will crush!" The monster roared, jumping onto a nearby power line and surging into it, reappearing behind the Titans in a split second, right in the middle of an undamaged intersection.

"Titans are amusing." Overload cackled, to the Titans' collective surprise. Overload in the past, had never managed to say anything more than 'destroy!' or 'mine!'

"But Overload has evolved." The villain lifted his arms now, stretching them thin until they resembled long electrical whips.

"Um..dude, he shouldn't be able to do that." Beast Boy commented.

"Now Overload will destroy!" The outstretched arms attacked now, but not at the titans, but at the two fire hydrants that stood on the corners of the streets.

"NO!" Robin ran, but it was too late, the water main had exploded in a flash of electricity. A huge geyser of water erupted on both corners of the intersection, which was quickly enveloped in electricity. As more electricity was conducted by the water, more made their way towards Overload's body.

Which started growing again.

And growing, and growing, until the electrical monster reached his former height of at least a hundred feet.

"No way." Beast Boy said dumbfoundedly.

"You've got to be kidding." Raven commented in a dark tone.

"He was playing with us all this time." Robin said grimly, realizing that the entire morning's worth of battles was a waste.

Suddenly, Robin's communicator went on. The boy wonder picked it up.

"Hey guys!" Cyborg said enthusiastically. "I'm heading over there right now, what's the situation?"

Before Robin or an exasperated Beast Boy could say anything, a thunderous roar shook the entire street. The roar was so powerful, it shattered every window within a block, as well as tearing apart most of the cars on the street. Even Cyborg, who was on the communicator, felt it.

**"NOW, WITH TITANS DOWN. OVERLOAD WILL CRUSH!"**

..

"Uh, yeah Cy...that pretty much summed up our situation." Beast Boy said into the communicator.

"Well don't worry, I got some help. Fixit and I will be over soon." Cyborg said reassuringly.

Robin and Beast Boy suddenly squinted their eyes, it had gotten darker.

Then they realized that they were now in the shadow of the huge and newly recharged Overload.

"Alright, get here as quick as you can, we'll try to buy some time. Robin Out."

He turned off the communicator, then got himself and his exhausted team ready for another effort.

Fixit meanwhile, made his way back to the darkest depths of the tunnel, into the main chambers of his home, a subterranean shelter that he built underneath Jump City's Dump. He had chosen this spot some time ago because of the rich numbers of replacement parts people threw out, it seemed like a perfect place to settle for people of his…type.

As Fixit made his way to the operating table in the center, all around him, thousands of his robotic 'friends' stared at their master with their piercing red eyes through the darkness.

Fixit magnetically lifted his tools into the air and then placed them all into a box. When he was finished, he prepared to leave the room, but before doing so, he turned to look at his own creations one last time.

Cyborg had mentioned that the happiness gained from the outside world was different from the joy he had known in his time down here. That caring for someone from the outside world was different from the feelings he had towards his machines.

_I….love my machines. I care for them, that is why I enjoy fixing them. Is that really different from what Cyborg says? I fix them, I make them better. is caring for someone not also making their lives better? _

He thought back to the time when Cyborg first met him, when he believed that his friend had suffered from the 'fatal' flaws of being half organic.

He tried to fix him, to make him 'better', but now, it was all so confusing to Fixit. He had wanted to help people like Cyborg, and what better way to help them than by giving them stronger robotic limbs, by helping them require no sleep or food? He thought he was helping to improve them.

That was his function, but in the end, he didn't end up helping anyone. He almost took away from Cyborg what was most precious to him. He could still remember that moment when he download Cyborg's human memories into him, the images of beauty that he almost robbed from his friend.

_Was I….being selfish?_

Thinking about it reminded Fixit of his own feelings at one time in his life, but that was a long time ago, virtually another world.

Then it dawned on him. Remembering Cyborg's words.

Lonely..  
.  
Lonely.

_I wanted to make Cyborg a machine...was it so that I wouldn't have to be alone anymore? Was it because, I was lonely?_

One of Fixit's machines, a small square headed robot, tugged at Fixit's robe. Through the darkness, Fixit could only make out the eerie silhouette of its battered body, made solely from old rusted car parts. A solitary red light pierced through the darkness, signaling that it wanted to say something.

Fixit, snapped out of his temporary daydream, looked down at the robot.

"Hello little friend. Do you require fixing?"

The robot just stared back blankly at Fixit. A series of electronic bleeps went through its head as it processed the command.

**Affirmative**

That was all they really said around here.

He had programmed them to speak when they require maintenance, but then again, they were just basic vocal programs, nothing more.

He stared blankly at the robot now and then looked into a broken mirror that was lay on the floor near a mountain of trash. Picking it up, he subconsciously stared at his robotic face.

Lonely…..I **Am** alone down here, in the darkness.

Perhaps Cyborg was right all along. .I am alone..  
He then dropped the mirror, which shattered into a thousand pieces on the ground. Within seconds, it was swept up by the cleaning unit bots that emerged from the darkness.

Calmly grabbing his bag, Fixit turned away from the thousands of robotic eyes. The very robots he had dedicated himself to for as long as he could remember.

Now, they all suddenly seemed so empty, so hollow…..

"Maybe I don't belong down here after all."

He slammed the door shut now, and the light, which had temporarily lit up the dark chamber, vanished instantly, and the thousands of small red eyes continued staring into the darkness.


	29. Circuit Break Act 2 pt 2

**Act 2, part 2**

Cyborg had gone on ahead, leaving via one of the surface tunnels that Fixit had built beneath the Junkyard. He had had lots of time to design his home, and so naturally, he always sought to expand and improve it, even beyond the junk yard. One such tunnel led to the Jump City Park, which was the closest exit Fixit had to where the battle was taking place, and even there, the battle was half a dozen blocks away, near the downtown area.

So it amazed Cyborg to see people still walking about here like nothing was happening, almost unaware that a large electrical monster was destroying downtown.

Seconds later however, Cyborg heard the heavy wail of sirens in the air, more police cars. He guessed that the authorities were coming to evacuate the people now, better late than never.

He turned around now, stopping his rush as he waited for his friend, hoping Fixit wasn't too far behind.

The sun.

It was the first time he had seen it in awhile, so long ago.

At first his retinal scanners took some time to adjust, but before long, Fixit could see everything in its beauty. The texture, the colour, the brilliance. There was so much motion in the outside world that he barely had time to appreciate. Butterflys were moving gracefully from tree to tree, rabbits would pounce here and there, while the wind would blow piles of leaves in this warm autumn day.

But then again, how did he know that it was warm? He had forgotten the last time, how it felt to have the warmth of the sun caress you, or the gentle breeze of a wind embracing you as you walked…. 

Something hit his foot, disturbing his train of though, and upon closer examination, Fixit saw that it was a toy car.

"Mister!" 

Warm…….I wonder what it feels like to be warm. To be cold…

"Hey mister!" A child in a blue shirt and base ball cap called out to him.

Is he talking to me? It has been so long since I've…

"Mister! You have my car over there." The boy, a smiling young lad, stopped right in front of fix, pointing down at the remote control car that had crashed into him. The child knelt to pick it up with his hand. Upon closer examination, Fixit noticed that the child's arm was not emitting a heat signature. It was a prosthetic arm.

"Aw man, its broken." Two more children ran up to the kid, who was almost on the verge of crying at the sight of his broken toy.

"Do not be afraid." Fixit said in his monotone voice, yet here, it was strangely comforting to the child, who brushed away his tears.

"I am Fixit, I am here to help. I can repair it with ease."

Fixit grabbed the toy now, and instantly wires began protruding out his arms, wrapping themselves around the toy and adjusting it, making changes. Eventually, the tiny robotic arms finished their repairs, and the toy was as good as new.

"Gee thanks mister!" The kid in the blue smiled.

"Hey! Are you Cyborg?" One of his friends asked curiously.

"Nah, this can't be Cyborg, Cyborg kicks butt and is totally cool. You're really nice though mister, can we have your name." The blue kid said.

"I am called fixit."

"Nice to meet you sir." The youth extended his prosthetic hand.

Fixit reached to shake it.

"Watch out!" A shout came from behind now, and suddenly Fixit felt the full force of a baseball slam into the right side of his head. He was thrown onto the ground.

More kids, all of them carrying baseball equipment ran to the fallen Fixit.

"Sorry sir! Fly ball!" The other kids explained, then leaned down to help him up.

"Hey mister are you alr-" More kids came to help their new friend up, at least, until they saw what was under his cape.

They froze. There was no body, or at least nothing resembling a body. There was only a pile of green and brown organs, all interwoven by wires and switches, along with small robotic arms pertruding from his 'stomach'. For the children, it looked like something of nightmares.

The children began backing away now, as Fixit stood up to put his cloak back on.

"What is wrong…is something malfunctioning with my systems?"

More people were gathering around him now, this time, adults.

"Get away from my children!" A mother ran towards her infants now, standing swiftly between him and her children.

Fixit, confused at the apparent hostility, back away quietly.

Why is this person mad at me? Did I do something wrong?

"As you wish."

The kids didn't answer though, instead, they ran, ran away as fast as they could, terrified at the sight they had just seen.

"Monster! Monster! Everyone run it's a monster!"

"No, wait-" The kid in the blue said, but was quickly drowned out by the screams of 'monster' in the air. Soon, the kid with the prosthetic limb was pulled by his friends, who were terrified at the sight of him.

Fixit closed his cloak now, concealing his organs. He didn't know what had just transpired, but suddenly, for some strange reason, he felt very…..vulnerable.

Almost unconsciously, he lifted his hand in front of his face, staring at it….

I am……a monster?

"Hey yo!" Cyborg ran up to Fixit, just passing the fleeing crowd of people." He gave a smirk. "Its about time people start realizing that there is a monster on the loose."

"They were running from me." Fixit said flatly.

"Oh." Cyborg stopped instantly, realizing the full extent of what had just happened. He wanted to say something, but no words immediately came to mind. He nodded quietly, a look of sympathy on his face.

"Why do they run. I do not understand, I was simply trying to help." 

"Its not like they have anything against you Fix, they just don't know you, and people are usually afraid of what they don't know." Cyborg said seriously, he of all people, knew what that felt like. 

"Yet still. I feel like I do not belong." Fixit said uneasily. There was something else he was feeling now, something building up inside of him when he saw those people flee from him, not even giving him a chance.

"There is something missing friend. I see the beauty of the world. Outside. But inside, i still feel. Empty."

It was perhaps, not the most accurate diagnosis. Deep inside, he did feel something.

Perhaps it was his frustration, the frustration that he could not find the right words to say in that situation. The frustration that he could not remember what it felt like to talk to another human being. Or perhaps, it was something else….something darker.

But Cyborg continued on.

"I thought that too Fix, but you know what? I just learned that it takes time. There will always be people like that, but you know what? When you get people like that, I'm sure you'll out what you're missing." Cyborg said reassuringly.

"We can help you."

Fixit didn't say anything.

"You're a good person Fix, you help others, you do good things, I know you. And sooner or later, there will always be people out there who will see you for what you are." He gave his friend a helping pat on the back.

"Like you? Friend?"

"Remember, you're not the only half robot guy around here." Cyborg gave a thumbs up.

"We might as well help each other. You'll always have me here as a friend Fix, always." Cyborg gave another pat on the back.

"Thank you. Friend, that was most reassuring."

"Now let's go kick some butt." A big smile went on Cyborg's face. 

"Yes," Fixit said monotonously, yet, this time, with a small smile on his face.

"We must help our friends."

My Friends.

The electrical monster walked forward, forming his left arm into a sword shaped form of electricity, his steps were tremendous, shaking the street as well as sending cars jumping into the air.

As he shambled forward, a black raven appeared in front of him, instantly dematerializing to reveal a floating sorceress in its place.

Raven's eyes blazed white.

"RAAWWR!" The monster formed both his hands into sharp claws, and raised his arms in preparation to strike.

As the monster swiped, Raven quickly converted into her soul self, so that the electric claws cut harmlessly through the black shadow. 

Furious at the elusiveness of his prey, Overload swiped, again, and again, each time doing little to no damage. The black magic that was dissipated by his attacks reformed in seconds, as the image of the black bird grew even larger, eventually dwarfing even him.

The other titans appeared now, Robin and Beast Boy landed on top of the roof of the building behind Overload, while Starfire provided air support from above.

"Give it up Overload, we've got you outnumbered." 

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAH. Fools. Overload, has evolved. Overload, is still evolving." The villain exclaimed in a surprisingly intelligible voice.

Overload cackled, then within seconds, the villain curled himself into a ball, consolidating his mass. As he condensed himself, the streams of lightning and electricity became more intense, melting street signs and abandoned cars.

Then, Overload disappeared in a blinding flash, forcing Raven to temporarily drop her magical barrier. The rest of the titans braced themselves, covering their eyes.

When the smoke cleared, the four titans watched in awe as the gigantic overload disappeared.

And in its place, were six fairly large Overloads, each one about the size of the original.

Before the titans could do anything, all six overloads turned to face Raven, and whipped their arms out into an awesome wave of energy that blasted straight towards her.

Raven teleported out of harms way instantly, reappearing beside her friends, who were already gazing wearily upon their enemy's new form.

"This is new." Raven said, slightly surprised..

"Now…." One of the six Overloads began talking, pointing at the titans. 

"Overload, outnumbers you!" Another Overload boasted.

All six of the Overloads laughed.

"May best team, win. Foolish Biologicals."

Then, without warning, they attacked. Six sets of electrical arms surged towards the Titans.

.   
. 

.   
.   
.   
. 

"BOOYAH!" A random shout came from behind, and the six Overloads turned to see two giant sonic arm cannons pointed at them.

"Did ya miss me?"

Two sonic blasts erupted, knocking the first two Overload's back into another pair, merging the two back together. The monster twisted and tumbled, before falling back into the wall of another building, leaving a neat imprint in it. The Titans, who were standing on the roof of the building, moved.

"Titans! Go!" Robin shouted, taking out his bo staff and jumping off the building, diving straight down, while Raven and Starfire dived down next to him. Beast Boy took to the skies as a hawk.

Cyborg continued firing, herding the Overloads together until they finally clumped back together into a ball of electricity.

"No one defeats Overload!" The monster asserted aggressively. Two of the remaining four Overloads lashed out at Cyborg with their arms. 

"HYAAAH!" Robin was first to act, hitting the Overload in the center with his bo staff, straight on the monster's 'head', and forcing the villain onto its knees. Before Robin hit the ground, or before Overload could retaliate, a black portal teleported the Boy Wonder away.

"Now!" Robin shouted.

The two Overloads on the sides turned around now, and saw that Starfire and Raven were right next to them, the next few seconds of their downward dive had placed the two girls just on eye level with the two monster, only they were upside down.

"Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!" Raven fired a concentrated blast of black magic into one of the Overloads, throwing him back.

Starfire meanwhile, focused her starbolts into one huge blast, and with a savage punch, sent the other Overload flying backwards.

The two Overloads met in midair, colliding in a single massive explosion of light, crushing the remaining two Overloads in between them. Within seconds, the smoke cleared, and the one solitary, yet still gigantic, Overload remained.

Before Overload could even get up though, a giant stegosaurus landed right in front of him, swinging its spiky tail and throwing the last Overload back into the massive disfigured clump of electricity. The momentum of the throw was so strong that the villain was sent slamming into the side of an office building, throwing up a huge cloud of rubble.

A solitary humming bird flew out of the smoke, transforming back into Beast Boy as the five titans gathered on the street.

"So, did we get him this time?" The changeling asked.

"It shouldn't be this easy." Robin said seriously.

"It isn't." Raven pointed to where Overload was, and as the dust lifted, they saw that the building Overload was trapped against had a huge hole in it. The villain had used this opportunity to escape. Although in the distance, the faint rumblings of his giant steps were still heard.

"No, it is not." A new voice came from beside the titans now, and the four other heroes turned to see Fixit walking quietly to them. 

"Guys, this is Fixit." Cyborg gave his friend the re-introduction, it had been awhile since the titans last saw their mechanical friend. 

"I have come to help. Friends."

"So we've heard." Robin said quickly, putting his bo staff back into his belt and getting to the point of the conversation. The 'catch-up with friends ' part of the conversation would be saved for later. 

"Any ideas?" The Boy wonder asked.

"I have been observing your battle from the time Cyborg jumped in, and from what Cyborg tells me, and what I saw. It appears that your opponent has covered himself with a shield of protective electricity, so that his old weakness would not touch his real body. Real electricity is conducted by water, that is why he is stronger. But beneath that shell, is his real body." Fixit explained.

"That must explain why Overload conducted that lightning through him." Raven deduced. "To make a shield from water."

"Precisely. If we remove that outer layer of current. You can take advantage of his weakness."

"So..how do we do it?"

"There are two options." Fixit said. "I can build a device that can stop the current, but it must be attached to his circuit board." 

Fixit reached into his robe, and pulled out a black square box.

"This chip should be more than enough. However, it has been awhile since i have used it, repairs will be needed, but after that. It will be availible to use."

"What is it?" Beast Boy asked curiously. "Some all purpose 'defeat a big giant monster' chip?"

"It is a device that interrupts the flow of an electrict current. A circuit breaker. I always carry one with me whenever my machines overload. I can modify it to work on your opponent."

"Alright, so we gotta attach that chip on Overload's hard disk?" Cyborg said.

"Yes." Fixit replied.

The titans shuddered at the thought of trying to pin a miniature device onto a small circuit board hidden within a hundred foot mass of cackling electricity. It would be like finding an ant in a haystack, then trying to stick a pin through it.

"Or We can feed him energy until he reaches critical mass, there is a reason why your opponent chooses to stop growing." Fixit added on. 

"You mean we can make him pop like the balloon of water?" Starfire asked inquistively.

"Precisely." Fixit confirmed.

Beast Boy raised his hand eagerly. "I vote for the explosion one." 

"That would not be preferable." Fixit said.

"Why not?" Robin asked.

"A blast that big could wipe out the whole city." Cyborg finished, to the disappointment of Beast Boy.

"Then that leaves only one option." Robin replied.

Fixit nodded, but was quick to add one more thing in. "It will be difficult to pin the device on him. Your opponent can manipulate his body into any shape and form. You will need to be very agile and quick."

"Not to mention extremely stupid." Beast Boy whispered playfully to Raven.

"And we still gotta find Overload's circuit board in that huge body." Cyborg added.

"Oh. K, then i guess we have to go for that other one. But who's going to be fly enough to stick a thing that small on-" Beast Boy stopped talking as everyone starting looking at him. A sly grin appearing on Cyborg's face.

"Figures." Beast Boy sighed.

"If you guys are done." Raven interrupted flatly. "Big friendly giant is on the move again."

She pointed to the building, or what was left of it. A huge 'overload' shaped hole was all that remained in the center of the building. The hole was so big that it went straight through the building. Overload simply walked through it.

"We gotta remove that current." Robin said with determination, gripping his hands into a fist.

"Which means we gotta keep him away from his power source." Cyborg added. "Is he going near any water?" He turned to Starfire.

The Tamaranian needed no words, and on instinct, flew up into the sky to survey the path of destruction that the villain was carving through the city.

"Oh do not worry friends, the Overload is moving quite hastily away from the water in the bay." Starfire shouted from above.

"That's good, where's he headed." Robin shouted back.

"Oh. The plant of power."

Everyone groaned.

Everyone but Fixit, who could not help but smile lightly as he spent his short time with the Titans. For the first time he could ever recall, he felt like he was actually, truly, helping someone other than himself. 

And for some reason, it felt good.

_I...belong here _

Fixit thought quietly to himself. The light smile still on his face as he watched the titans go over their next plan of attack.


	30. Circuit Break Act 3

**Act 3**

The Titans made their way exhaustingly across town now, it was high noon, and all of them, except for Cyborg, had been fighting for the last several hours of the morning, and the exhaustion of such a long fight was beginning to take its toll on them. They had to take Overload down, now.

"Yo Robin, any word on our giant spark plug?" Cyborg spoke into his arm communicator as he, Fixit and Beast Boy ran down the street.

Robin, who was several blocks away, riding on his R-Cycle, shook his head through the communicator screen.

"We last sighted him in the financial district, he may be trying to find a power substation which connects him to the plant."

"Where's the nearest one?" Cyborg asked.

"I've pinpointed one by the Stadium, I'll send you the coordinates now." Robin said quickly.

"Gotcha, me, B and Fix can proceed on foot." Cyborg replied back.

"Geez man…." Beast Boy huffed exhaustingly as he ran. "Why are we running."

"Because, SOMEONE" Cyborg shot Beast Boy a sarcastic glare. "trashed my T-car."

"Oh…" Beast Boy laughed. "Right, that."

Fixit however, offered a helpful suggestion. "We can make better time if we utilize the sewer tunnel system, it should offer us a more direct approach to our destination."

Cyborg nodded. "Alright Fix."

"Tell me again why Raven and Star aren't flying there?"

"Because Raven is going to get the T-Ship, we'll need it, and Starfire is busy scouting for Overload with Robin." Cyborg explained, rather impatiently.

"And I'm supposed to attach this thing-a-ma-bob to a ONE HUNDRED FOOT monster!" Beast Boy groaned as he held out Fixit's newly fixed device.

"Hey, Overload's a machine right?" Cyborg smirked. "And I don't know anyone who can wreck machines as fast as you B." He patted the Green Titan's back.

"ER thanks…..is that supposed to be a compliment?"  
The communicator went on now.

"Cyborg, this is Robin."

"Come in Robin."

The Boy Wonder appeared on the screen now. "Overload has just been sighted heading into the old electronics warehouse, i'm forwarding the coordinates now."

Cyborg stopped dead in his tracks now, right before an old manhole in the street.

"Alright man, we'll see ya there in a few." Cyborg said casually as he lifted the manhole cover off the sewer entrance and placed it on the side walk, just as Fixit and Beast Boy stopped in their tracks.

The three heroes looked down the unwelcoming sewer now, which was completely obscured in darkness. What was apparent however, was the wretch smell that hovered above the entrance.

Beast Boy instantly reeled back in horror, holding his nose.

"Um……so…….I call not being first?"

Meanwhile, high above the city, the T-ship began circling the downtown area. Clumsily, the air craft swerved left, just in time to avoid hitting an office building square on.

"Robin," Raven said flatly, using all her strength to try and straighten the steering wheel. "Tell me again why I'm flying this thing? I'm not exactly the expert here."

"Because Cyborg and Fixit are working on their device, and I don't trust Beast Boy in front of so many buttons." Robin replied via the communicator.

"Not like I have an idea of how to use them either."

Robin smirked. "At least you don't push them. We'll see you in a bit, Robin out."

Raven sighed, just as the proximity alarm blared. 

WARNING…WARNING…COLLISION IMMINENT.

The computer blared.

"Well…you're an AI, land this thing."

IMPOSSIBLE. The computer replied.

"Just do it."

SORRY, YOUR ON YOUR OWN. The computer bleeped off as the Office building was just fifty yards ahead.

Raven stared up uneasily to see a huge office building getting bigger and bigger in front of her.

"Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos." Her eyes began glowing white as a black shroud lifted the T-Ship even higher into the air, so high until it cleared the building.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Raven took another look at the coordinates.

"I hate computers."

Cyborg, Beast Boy and Fixit quickly met up with Robin now, who was standing with Starfire in front of the old abandoned warehouse.

"How joyful it is to see you again friends!" Starfire sniffed the air. "Tell me, is there a reason why it smells like a Tamaranian Zofnarb?"

"Um…." Cyborg wiped some sludge off his arm. "We can explain later. What's the situation."

"Overload's in there, he just. Disappeared." Robin said grimly.

"Smells fishy." Cyborg transformed his hand into a sonic cannon. "Better prepare ourselves for anything."

"Why? It's not like Overload has the brains to set a trap, right guys?" Beast Boy shrugged.

"In any case, we have to stop him here. If he reaches the power plant, it won't be an overload anymore, it'll be a city-wide meltdown." 

"Alright, let's go." Cyborg nodded.

The double doors to the warehouse were blasted open, lifting up a huge wave of dust that loomed over the darkened parts of the abandoned building.

Cyborg and Robin were the first to enter. One had a sonic cannon, fully charged, while the other was armed only with his trusty bo-staff. 

The warehouse was vast, with hundreds of dusty old crates piled up on the edges, while ancient pieces of technology, old cars, a humvee, and some computer parts littered the center of the room in a disorderly mess. Obviously, some time ago, this was an important place of operations for someone. Now it was abandoned.

Mostly abandoned.

"Greetings Titans." A booming, monstrous voice echoed through the darkness. 

Beast Boy, Robin, Cyborg and Starfire froze at the voice, which they have heard many times through the savage, primitive growlings of the monster they had faced many times.

"Surprised?" The darkened warehouse lit up now, as streams of electricity cackled through the circuit box, and around the wires that sprawled the ceiling. It became so big, that eventually the entire ceiling was just a sea of blue energy from Overload.

"My power source is constantly upgrading all of my capabilities, soon, not even you can match me." Overload said in a surprisingly intelligible tone, although his voice was still as low and primitive as ever.

"No more 'Overload Crush this', or 'Overload destroy that'……" 

Eventually, the electricity spread to the rest of the warehouse, so that three of the surrounding walls were completely covered by Overload's electricity.

"I have evolved Titans, far beyond what you thought I was. Soon, I shall have all the power I need to stay like this. Forever!"

"Titans! Go!" Robin shouted, and he and Starfire rushed forward, along with the rest of the titans.

Thousands of whip-like arms, varying from size and length, began sprouting from the walls and ceiling now, all of them shooting straight at the titans.

Beast Boy instantly transformed into a mouse, dodging the blast as it tore a crater into the ground. He hoped through the pile of old computers, using his small size to hide in the cracks, the circuit breaker held tight in his mouth.

But the new and improved Overload was quicker, his one large arm quickly splintered off into thousands of small arms, each one as thin as a strand of rope, and they all stabbed right into the pile of computers.

"Come out, Come out, where ever you are!" Overload gave a cackled laugh. 

"Yo! Sparky!" A voice cried out.

A sonic blast tore the giant arm apart now, followed by a salvo of blue tipped missiles that blasted a hole in a section of the wall.

Robin meanwhile, was viciously battling more arms that sprouted from the wall with his bo staff. The Boy wonder jumped, avoiding two whip like tentacles as they swiped down, then he swung, cutting one of Overload's arms in half.

Overload simply grew back his arm at a ferocious speed, and with a giant roar, he charged up, illuminating the entire warehouse in a blinding blue flash.

"AAH!" Cyborg yelled in pain as he shielded his eyes.

"Can you match the power of an entire city, little tin man?" Overload said mockingly, just as two arms carried the Humvee and another old pick up truck next to Cyborg.

Before the Titan could respond, Overload slapped his arms together, crushing Cyborg between the Humvee and the car he was holding. A sickening metal crunch was heard as Cyborg was caught between the two vehicles, leaving a huge dent in each one.

Cyborg groaned weakly as he emerged from the wreckage, falling down to one knee. He looked up, just in time to see Overload wrapping the Humvee with his arms from the ceiling, planning on dropping the vehicle on his head.

"HIYAAAH!" Starfire flew straight at the lifted vehicle, both hands charged with green energy. Overload roared, and slammed the car down with his arm. 

The two forces met in mid air, and a shockwave reverberated through the warehouse as the massive explosion took out the dozens of arms that sprouted from the ceiling.

Cyborg meanwhile, gathered his wits and stood up, slightly dazed, to see a smiling Starfire give him a thumbs up.

Before the two titans could do anything, the entire section of wall that was next to them sprouted thousands of electrical arms, all of them surging straight towards the prone pair……

….only to be interrupted as a gigantic sonic blast sliced through all the arms, destroying a nearby section of wall in a huge explosion. 

Cyborg and Starfire looked to their side, and in amazement, saw Fixit, carrying an RPG-type weapon in his hand.

"You will leave my friends alone." Fixit said coldly, the gun still smoking in his grasp.

"I do not know who you are." Overload's face emerged now, the small circuit board that was shaped like an eye quickly peeked through the ceiling. "But I will destroy you all the same."

More arms sprouted from electrical wires on the walls, forming a gigantic arm that was sent straight for Fixit.

"Not on my watch." Robin slid his way just in time between Fixit and Overload, twirling his bo-staff like a helicopter blade and slicing Overload's arm into many pieces.

Beast Boy meanwhile, peeking through a small hole in the pile of old computer and machine parts, saw Overload's outstretched face on the ceiling, and decided it was the opening he needed.

He transformed into a hawk, bursting out of the mountain of old machines. Swerving left and right to avoid the dozens of rope-like arms sprining for him, the green titan made his way closer and closer to Overload's face.

Closer…and Closer…..

Beast Boy smirked, unable to see the large arm that blindsided him in mid-air.

With a roar, Overload swung, throwing Beast Boy across the room. The panicked Titan transformed back into his human form in mid air, grasping the chip in his hand just before he landed against the wall with an 'oof'.

The other titans gathered next to their fallen friend, while Overload began seeping out of the walls and wires, forming himself into a huge pile of electricity in the center of the room, until finally, he assumed his humanoid form again.

"Feeling a little tired Titans? After all, you haven't had any sleep." Overload said mockingly as he approached the heroes, who uneasily prepped themselves for the next attack.

Overload laughed. "Don't worry, I will end this quickl-"

Before Overload could even gloat even more, a huge rumbling noise shook the entire warehouse, and all the occupants suddenly stopped in their tracks. Overload and the Titans looked at the ceiling in puzzlement as the sound got louder, shaking off old ceiling tiles and dropping streams of dust to the floor.

Eventually, the mystery was solved.

With a huge crash, the ceiling above Overload exploded, and through the hole, the T-Ship dived straight down. Overload stared up blankly as the entire roof and ship came down on him.

"Oh-" 

The villain was cut off as the T-ship and roof crashed down on him, throwing up a mountain of wreckage and dust into the air, with the T-Ship on top of it all.

The cockpit of the T-ship opened now, and through the opening, a coughing Raven crawled out.

Starfire flew to her friend's assistance. "Raven, Friend, are you damaged?"

"No Star, I'm fine."

"May I inquire as to what happened?" The Tamaranian asked.

"Nothing, I figured I was flying in circles, so I set the autopilot to land where Overload was." The titan coughed. "It worked."

Another rumble was heard now, and instinctively, Raven and Starfire took to the skies as the pile of wreckage erupted into a mountain of electricity. Even the T-ship was thrown onto the ground like a toy. 

"You think you've beaten me?" Overload laughed.

Beast Boy took the chip in his hand now. "Dude, I liked you better when you were dumb." He squinted his eye, taking aim at the small chip that was located on Overload's body. Now that the monster had revealed himself, the circuit board was completely visible now, vulnerable.

The Green Titan smirked, tossing the chip into the air. As it flew, he transformed into a llama and opened his mouth, letting the circuit breaker fall right in.

"Prepare to be annihilated." Overload stepped forward, and the Titans braced themselves for the upcoming attack.

Beast Boy spat.

"WHAT-" Overload barely had time to reply as the Fixit's chip flew straight at his circuit board, attaching itself magnetically as it came into contact with him.

In that instant, huge sparks of electricity cackled on Overload's face, and the monster reeled back in pain as a wave of new electricity surged over his body. Overload arched his back as more energy was gathered from around his body, forming a huge blue ball on his circuit board, until finally, the energy simply dissipated, and the Titans noticed that Overload had shrunk back to almost his normal size.

"You were saying?" Robin said seriously as he stepped forward, the rest of the titans and Fixit behind him.

"Let's end this." Raven said bluntly, focusing her energies onto the ground, before tearing out a water pipe that suddenly sprayed a huge stream of water at the electrical villain.

Overload screamed as the initial blast of water hit him, and he began shrinking, but eventually, even after a huge dousing, Overload stopped shrinking.

The monster gave heavy groans as it recovered from its exposure to water, and soon, he managed to regain his strength.

The Titans widened their eyes in surprise.

"It is too late foolish biologicals. Overload has had upgrades long enough to develop immunity, soon, it shall be complete. You cannot stop Overload." He said in a slightly less intelligible, but still menacing voice.

With a ferocious roar, the monster charged.

"Raven," Beast boy nudged her shoulder. "I have an idea."

"You certainly pick the best times for them." She replied dryly as she focused on the fifteen foot monster charging them.

"Just trust me, now, just do this….." Beast Boy whispered on into Raven's ear. Then started running towards the T-Ship

"OVERLOAD WILL CRUSH!"

"Azarath! Metrion! Zinthos!" Raven threw up her cloak now, and a huge black portal emerged from it to cover not only Overload, but everyone in the warehouse as well.

Soon, everything faded into black.

The darkness subsided quickly, as the titans soon found themselves in the old battle scarred downtown area, where an already furious Overload was contemplating his surroundings.

"You want the power plant?" Raven said dryly. "Looks like you're back to square one."

"This was Beast Boy's plan?" Robin, completely exhausted now, said wearily to Raven.

"You'll see." She said.

"I do not know how much more of the 'pummeling' I can endure friends." Starfire said as she floated tiredly above her friends. 

Only Cyborg seemed fresh enough to take on this latest assault.

"Well, whatever B has planned, he better do it quick." The titan charged his sonic cannon again.

"Do not worry friend. I can offer my assistance as well." Fixit said calmly, taking another device out of his cloak, this one shaped like a disc.

"Not if Overload destroys foolish biologicals first!" Overload growled, then charged.

Raven, Robin, and Starfire braced themselves, while Cyborg gritted his teeth, steadying his aim as Overload got closer.

Fixit threw his disc onto the ground, which instantly threw up a blue force field.

Overload, unable to stop his drive, flattened his body against the electric barrier. Not even thinking anymore, the monster furiously pummeled the field with his hands, only with no effect. The Titans were safe inside.

"HEY OVERBUTT!" A loud cocky voice shouted from the air.

Overload turned around now, and he saw Beast Boy heading straight towards him. 

Flying the T-Ship. Straight at him.

"You like power huh?" Beast Boy smirked, squinting his eyes as he aimed straight for Overload. "Well, here's something for ya!"

With a violent roar of the engine, the T-ship rammed straight into Overload. It hit him so hard that it actually impaled the monster, dragging him along with the T-ship as it pulled straight up into the air, accelerating quickly into the atmosphere and leaving a trail of smoke in its wake.

As the ship accelerated, climbing hundreds of feet into the air, Overload gave a laugh, digging his arms into the ship.

"Energy! The power! All mine!" Overload cackled, absorbing pieces of the ship.

The hatch to the cockpit blew open now, and a smirking Beast Boy gave Overload a cocky salute.

"In space, no one can hear you explode."

Then he transformed into a hawk and dove away.

Overload, still puzzled, looked into the console of Beast Boy's cockpit. 

10…...9…….8……. 

"URGH!" 

Meanwhile, in the streets, dozens of citizens joined the titans as they all looked up into the sky.

The first thing they saw was a green peregrine falcon, which dove down, landing next to the titans and transforming back into Beast Boy. 

"So, how did you like that." Beast Boy brushed his hands confidently. 

Cyborg however, was far from impressed, he was looking up, yelling frantically at Beast Boy. He grabbed his friend, swinging him wildly. 

"AW man, you did NOT do what you just DID! I just repainted my baby!" 

Beast Boy was stunned at this, and at first couldn't think of anything to say.

"Heh…oops?" 

The explosion that followed in that instant didn't help either.

The sky was quickly illuminated in a bright yellow light, as a huge fireball erupted hundreds of feet above the city, blowing away nearby clouds while thousands of chunks of debris fell from the sky, leaving smoky trails in their wake.

"Um……told ya my explosion plan worked?" Beast Boy shrugged nervously. 

Cyborg sighed. Sadly, he was used to this by now.

More debris fell from the sky now, and one of these objects was a busted up computer chip that landed straight onto the ground in front of the titans, still smoking.

"Overload……….ugh………toasted….." 

The villain groaned, then powered down. He was defeated.

Slowly, but surely, the citizens began emerging from the rubble now, all of them clapping their hands and cheering the titans. Eventually, a large crowd gathered in the street.

"Boo-YAH! Aside from Beast Boy destroying my stuff." He gave the green titan a glare.

Which quickly faded back into a smile, he couldn't stay that mad at Beast Boy.

"Everything's good."

Cyborg raised his arms in celebration with the rest of the citizens. "Now who's up for a nice big afternoon of Stankball!"

Beast Boy yawned, "Maybe tomorrow." Then he dragged his feet slowly away, only to stop dead in his tracks as two blonde girls joined the crowd, raising their hands eagerly.

"We wish to play!" The twins said.

Beast Boy had a huge smile on his face, instantly energized.

"AAaaaand I'm just the guy to teach you!" The green titan smirked, instantly positioning himself between the two ladies.

Meanwhile, Robin, Raven, and Starfire, struggled to just keep their eyelids open.

"Alright Titans." Robin yawned, the toll of a whole night and morning's fight already on his face. "Do whatever…….just Go!"

Raven nodded, while Starfire just floated aimlessly in their general direction, ignoring the huge crowds of fans that surrounded and followed them.

"Alright y'all!" Cyborg said cheerfully as he gathered up a group of young fans, "before we go to the park, I want ya'll to meet a very good friend of mine! Fix-"

He turned around. No one was there.

"Fixit?" 

As he tried to look, more fans swarmed him.

Fixit stood there, watching quietly as the crowd gathered around all the titans, congratulating them on a days good work. He did not wish to leave, but he found himself forced outside by the massive tidal wave of fans who ran to meet their heroes.

Instead, he observed, watching as he always did from an alleyway. Even from here, the crowd seemed awfully large.

Some familiar voices however, caught his attention.

"COOL MAN, that was like, the most awesome thing I've ever saw!" A child ran up to Cyborg, jumping onto his robotic arm and hugging it tightly.

It came from one of the children he had met earlier. In the park.

"You are the coolest Cyborg!" The blue capped kid with the prosthetic arm smiled as he was carried by his hero.

He laughed, holding his fake arm in front of Cyborg, who dutifully shook it. Cyborg meanwhile, between greeting his followers, was looking around the crowd, as if finding something. More people gathered around Cyborg now, ranging from businessmen, to cops, to even moms, all of them shaking his hand, praising him, and some even hugging him. Thanking him for the good work he did in protecting their city. 

They were all there for him.

It took Fixit seconds to compute the scene, before he turned away from it all. The revelation disturbed him deeply, that the children he had so horrified hours before, now treated Cyborg, like he was one of their own.

_But I have humanity….how come it is not acknowledged? How come they can see his? Is it…..because I am malfunctioning? Is it….because I am a monster?_

He unconsciously stared at his hands again, only this time, he felt even emptier.

_Why is it me…just me?_

Fixit entered the darkness of the alleyway now, away from the cheering crowds, the titans he called friends, the one called Cyborg, who he had thought was the same as him.

"I am sorry Cyborg, But I see now that you were wrong. You were always wrong." Fixit said calmly, to no one in particular, turning around to walk away.

The truth had dawned on him. Even he was different from Cyborg, the half machine.

"The data I have gathered is irrefutable."

Cyborg has so much……so much that he didn't have, nor understand. He did not know what was more frustrating, the fact that he did not have what Cyborg had, or the fact that he did not fully understand what it was he was being deprived of.

"You said we were the same, but you are wrong." Fixit said in his monotone voice, walking even deeper into the alleyway, until he finally came upon one of his tunnels.

If he ever remembered what crying was like, he would be doing it right now. The bitter feeling of rejection and frustration was overwhelming him, but no tears passed through the metallic optic sensors that were his eyes.

Indeed, he maintained his composure with a metallic calm.

"I see now, the things that make us different." Fixit's eyes glowed red, and the passage opened, to reveal a passage down a dark tunnel. 

"You belong here, I do not."

With those last words, Fixit disappeared into the darkness, to return to the place he knew he truly belonged.. As he disappeared, a cascade of small robotic red eyes lit up the passage...

...back to where he belonged.

His dark world, filled with his machines.

THE END.


	31. Showdown Act 1

**Note: Sorry guys for taking so long, but i'll try to update continually from now on. And thanks for all the reads and reviews! D appreciate it!**

**And in response to General Rage: This season is more like season 4.5. It happens between season 4 and 5. And yep, that raven robin thing was from the comic book adaptation.**

**EPISODE 8 - SHOWDOWN**

It was a gloomy and wet night in Jump City. The dark silhouette of the city hung depressingly against a backdrop of rain and clouds. Lightning erupted in the distance as downtown was literally drenched in the downpour of the century. Mixing in with the rain and thunder, were the sounds of car horns echoing in the streets.

A least a hundred feet down on ground level.

The figure watched quietly from the rooftop of one of the downtown office buildings. He scanned the warehouse with the infrared sensors built into his mask, ignoring the drips of water that ran down his face and body, still as a ghost. In the darkness, it was impossible to tell who he was; there was only a caped silhouette.

"Six guards, two by the window, most likely more in the room, not too shabby."

He looked at the facility with a professional eye, the building immediately adjacent to the office rooftop he stood on. It was a large warehouse, almost as tall as the office building he was on.

The thief paused for a second; remembering details from the schematics he stole earlier. Pressure sensors littered the perimeter, which meant that if he stepped in the wrong place, the alarm would go off. While the windows were all set with laser trip wires, and even in the heavy black rain, the red lasers could be seen through the windows. Forming an impossibly thin grid of red beams, the distance between each beam, he gauged, was scarcely enough to fit a person through, maybe….five feet?

Then, there were those guards...He scanned the parameter, behind the warehouse windows was a catwalk, were at least a dozen guards were patrolling, he could make out their gun totting silhouettes through the wet windows.

Only a dozen of em…..

He smirked, the plan already forming in his head. He quickly discarded his last statement when he turned on his hypersonic scan through the walls. There were at least twenty more on the ground level.

The figure, dressed in a black suit, chuckled. When you steal for a living, its easy to forget that you're supposed to be the bad guy. But that shouldn't count, everyone breaks the law in one way or another, it's just a matter of degrees.

He ran the list of obstacles down in his head now.

Laser wires, pressure sensors, reinforced steel vaults, enough guards to occupy a fortress. For something like this, the job would require guile, stealth, and above all, precise and delicate skill.  
.._Yeah Right.._

Two high beamed lights appeared on the rooftop of the office building, followed by a monstrous roar as the motorcycle's engines came to life.

The guards on the catwalk heard this, and were already turning to face the window.

It was too late.

The windows of the warehouse exploded, fragmenting into a million pieces. All the guards watched in amazement as a motorcycle drove right through the window, falling down from mid air. Millions glass shards raining onto the ground.

The sleek black motorbike crashed violently through the window. The wheels of the bike shattered the window first, and the guards widened their eyes in amazement as both rider and bike fell into the warehouse sideways, just thin enough to dodge the laser alarms.

The guards all trained their rifles.

But by then, the biker had acted.

Two red X's hit the guys by the window, shocking them into unconsciousness. The rider, still in his seat, pulled out another X with his free hand, and threw it at five guards, who suddenly found themselves knocked out as the X grew to an immense size, engulfing all of them.

The motorcycle screeched onto the ground, skidding violently to its side as the rider hit the brakes.

The guards fired, red laser fire suddenly illuminating the darkened warehouse. The rider was quicker, he jumped off the bike, which acted as a shield from the laser fire. The guards only had less than a second before the bike hit both of them, pinning them violently against the wall.

Two more guards to his right...an instant later they were all pinned against the wall by X shaped blades.

_Two more behind..._

That one was easily taken care of with a swift punch to the jaw, while the other had a kick in the face. Two more down.

"Freeze!" Four guards trained their rifle from behind the thief, while another stood right in front of him.

Red X smirked, holding up his hands in surrender.

"Alright guys, you got me."

The guard in front of X walked slowly towards him now, hoping to cuff him, but he never got a chance.

X surged forward, placing a hand on the guard and doing a forward flip on the man's shoulder, as he went upside down, his free arm threw four shining X ninja stars at the guards.

All four were hit simultaneously, just as X knocked the guy he jumped on with a foot to the head as he landed back upright.

All the guards were down.

Well, nothing like making a dishonest buck.

He ran out the room, past a not-so-heavily guarded hallway, avoiding all the cameras, and sliding past the security personnel who ran to check what the noise was. It only took a minute to reach his destination.

The vault door.

A few explosive X's quickly blew the door open in a cloud of smoke, revealing his objective...

…A small microchip that floated in the middle of a beam of light. Word was that someone wanted these chips…..badly...and they would pay big for them.

Before he even touched the chip however, he noticed that another figure appeared through the shadows, this one had a black and yellow cape, spiky hear, and a small mask to cover just his eyes.

The spiky haired kid leaned casually on the wall next to the chip, giving the impression that he was here for a long time.

Red X gave an amused look as he saw the interloper.

"What took you so long?" Robin smirked, stepping out of the shadows, bird-a-rang already in his hand.

"Not bad kid," Red X, unphased by Robin's presence, took out his X-shaped wrist blades, then shrugged.

"Not bad."

(Fade to song)

When there's trouble you know who to call  
Teen Titans!  
From their tower, they can see it all  
Teen Titans!

When there's evil on the attack  
You can rest knowing they got your back  
'Cuz when the world needs heroes on patrol  
Teen Titans GO!

With their superpowers they unite  
Teen Titans!  
Never met a villain that they liked  
Teen Titans!

They've got the bad guys on the run  
They never stop 'till the job gets done  
'Cuz when the world is losin' all control  
Teen Titans GO!

1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. Go!  
Teen Titans!

The two combatants glared at each other. Circling around like two lions stalking its opponents. Sooner or later, one of them would move.

X curled his arms then in a split second, produced two more blades in each hand, folding them out as seamlessly as a seasoned poker player would when he folds out his cards.

Then Red X gave a smug laugh.

"So the bird can learn, but the question is, can he catch the thief?" X said tauntingly.

"We'll just find out won't we?" Robin said in a dead serious voice, no less confident.

The talk was over, and X was the first to move. Six ninja stars flew straight at Robin and the Boy Wonder seamlessly rolled to his side, throwing his one bird-a-rang at his assailant.

Red X was equally fast, crossing his arms and wrist blades together, deflecting the bird-a-rang to a nearby wall, where it impaled itself into the concrete.

The thief turned to see Robin already charging him with two tonfas in his hands, but the Boy Wonder, instead of attacking with his weapon of choice, jumped in the air and began the assault with a savage kick.

X grunted as he blocked the kick with his arm, doing a back flip to avoid a swipe kick at his feet as Robin landed back on the ground. The two moves were done quickly, professionally, each movement having an artful flow to them.

The kid was obviously getting lessons from someone.

Before X could even around to look at Robin, a metal tonfa had hit him straight across the face, knocking him down in surprise.

Robin moved in for the kill, but before that could happen, X vanished right before the Boy Wonder's eyes. Robin checked his advance.

"Too Slow." A sickening mechanical whir resounded through the room as X's wrist blades doubled in size and began spinning like a buzz saw. Robin held up his Tonfa in defense, which was quickly cut in two, just less than an inch away from his arm.

X swiped down two more times, each one forcing Robin back one step.

Robin parried each of X's blade swipes, with each parry resulting in a piece of metal being cut from his tonfas. Soon, his weapons were reduced to nothing but a small metal stick he held in his hand.

X smirked, Robin was out of weapons and out of luck, he charged.

Just as Robin reached into his belt for his bo staff. The boy wonder grinned as he quickly extended it out, and thrusted it towards X, who suddenly disappeared again.

"Boo." A voice came from behind Robin's head and he turned just in time to receive a boot in the gut. Robin reeled back as a rush of air and saliva excited his mouth, X teleported again, this time above him, and a foot slammed right into his back, driving him down onto the ground.

"Thanks for the workout kid, now to get my prize." X saluted the fallen Robin, then quickly ran to the floating chip and grabbed it in his hand.

Only to have it dissolve upon touching it. The microchip broke down into thousands of smaller pieces, until finally, nothing was left but dust.

"A fake." Red X exclaimed.

"I guess its back to square one." Robin smirked as he got back up, already in a combat stance with the bo staff.

"Sorry, I don't plan on staying."

"I thought you lost your belt." Robin said with a genuine curiousity, yet the hostility was still in his voice

"A good thief always steals a backup copy of the blue prints." Red X replied back. Assembling the belt was another matter, but it pays to have friends. X was sure the kid wanted to know more about that, but that was all he was going to get.

X rushed Robin with his blades now, he jumped up to avoid a barrage of explosive discs thrown by the titan, lifting his arms up to strike his opponent with his blades.

Robin was just as quick, leaning backwards to avoid the swipe, and throwing his bo staff up to lock blades with X while he was still in mid air.

X quickly made the best of the platform giving to him, and pushing down on Robin's bo staff, jumped off and completed a backflip that landed him right behind the Boy Wonder, and next to the exit.

Before Robin could even turn around, X was gone, using his short range teleporter to escape.

X ran straight for the empty warehouse, where all the unconscious guards had lain. That didn't matter now, all he needed was his motorcycle, then he was home free.

A few more guards had entered the facility just after he crashed in, but they were quickly taken care of by a few well placed electroshock X's on their bodies.

He quickly ran back to his bike, taking care to dislodge it from the rubble, and the two unconscious guards who the bike pinned to the wall.

Nothing like the perfect getaway.

He revved up the bike now, its engines roar echoing throughout the facility. Just as he was about to accelerate however, a very persistent person jumped right in front of the bike's path.

"Give it up kid, you think you can take me down all by your little lonesome?"

"Normally yes, but this time I'll make an exception." Robin reached into his communicator. "Titans! Go!"

A black veil suddenly emerged from the ground in the form of a claw, wrapping itself around the sleek black motorcycle halting it in its tracks.

As X tried to accelerate, he found that the black energy was taking components out of his ride, eventually taking it apart.

He jumped ship right before that happened, only to jump right into a bright blue light that seemed to light up the whole chamber.

A small explosion erupted in the air as X was pegged by a sonic blast, followed by a barrage of green sonic blasts behind him. The thief, though hurt, knew the smoke over the field would be to his advantage and so, just as he landed, he prepared to move, only to have a green ram crash right into his ribs, throwing him against the wall.

X groaned, then looked up and saw that the four other titans. The cutie and the sorceress were flying above the group, while the robot man, the green dude stood next to Robin.

"Give it up X, the mask comes off today." Robin said firmly.

"Sorry to disappoint, but I've got plans of my own." Red X reached into his belt, and to Robin's surprise, pulled out his own communicator.

"Winters, I need back up." Red X said smugly.

Seconds later, the entire section of wall behind Red X exploded in several places, revealing at least half a dozen human-sized holes in the wall. The smoke obscured most of that section of the room, and when the dust cleared, Red X was gone.

In his place, were at least three dozen Slade bots, each one armed with a laser rifle.

"Er…time out dude…is X working for Slade now?" Beast Boy asked in confusion.

"I don't know," Robin said "but we still gotta catch him."

The boy wonder turned to Cyborg. "Think you can handle these guys without me?"

"We're all over it." Cyborg said with a smirk, his sonic cannon already charged up.

"Titans," The mechanical titan stepped forward. "Go!"

The four titans charged at the Robots, and soon the entire room dissolved into a cascade of laser fire and explosions.

Meanwhile, on the warehouse roof, Red X watched in amusement as the two sides battled it out on the warehouse floor, but someone was missing...

He got his answer as the glass in the skylight exploded into a million fragments, and Robin appeared, jumping out of the opening and landing just feet from X.

"This is getting old really fast." X said, slightly annoyed.

"I'm taking you in." Robin said seriously.

"Come on, why do such a thing like that? It's not like the people of this city did anything for you."

"And I'm assuming your new boss has?"

X shrugged. "Boss? More like Partner. Since our last tangle, I became freelance. You know, work where I want, when I want."

"For Slade?" Robin said fiercely. "That's low, even for you. That guy is psychotic."

Red X gave a bemused look, then pointed at Robin. "This coming from the kid who prances around rooftops at night dressed as a bird. Nothing personal, but I'll take my chances with the Psycho, he pays better at least and he has a better fashion sense."

Robin gave out a death glare.  
X backed off slowly to the edge of the roof now, with Robin warily taking out his bo staff, preparing for any sudden moves. But X didn't look like he was going to do anything.

"Ok, ok, maybe that was a little too harsh, but you get my point."

X chuckled.

"You should know by now Robin, guys like us, we don't have to answer to any rules. Because at the end of the day, we can just slip off our masks and become someone else, and no one's the wiser."

Robin said coldly, nor did he let his guard down, but X was being unexpectedly genuine, calling him 'robin' for the first time.

"Be my partner kid, together, we can make it big. We'll be untouchable." He extended his hand out.

"Come on Robin, I know you enjoy the thrill." X said smugly.

"That's not the reason I wear this mask. I'm nothing like you, I don't steal, I help people." Robin, his allegiance reaffirmed, took out a bird-a-rang to prove his point, aiming it at Red X.

X sighed, then turned around, but before doing so, he gave Robin a salute.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night kid."

He jumped, and Robin wasted no time chasing him, preparing to wrap a grappling hook around the thief just as he fell, but when he went to the ledge, no one was there.

X was gone.

The battle in the warehouse was over, and Cyborg looked over the battlefield. Dozens of Robots lay battered and broken, lying on the smoldering ruins of the warehouse wall, while the four titans stood quietly in the center of it all, taking a breather from their battle.

Robin joined in just seconds later.

"Oh Robin!" Starfire shouted with glee. "It is great to see that you are not injured!"

"And we kicked butt." Beast Boy smirked.

"Some of us got it more the other way around." Raven said dryly, to the annoyance of Beast Boy.

Robin said nothing, instead he looked down at a piece of a slade bot that had landed at his feet. Picking up the metal, he examined it with a keen eye.

That would wait another day. Robin thought, as he put a scrap of the metal into his belt.

"X got away."

Everyone became quiet again, but it was Cyborg who broke the silence.

"Happens to the best of us man. Now let's go and return the chip to where it belongs."

Robin nodded, taking out the computer chip from his cape that X had wanted so badly, the one he had replaced with the fake one before the battle. The one he had to break in to replace….

X ran along the rooftops now, the wet rain soaking every square inch of him. In the black night, he was completely invisible, save for the occasional flash of lightning that revealed his running silhouette on the rooftops.

**"You have failed in your objective" **

The headset in X's mask turned on, revealing a distorted, deep, computerized voice.

"It was a fake anyway, I guess your intel was faulty Winters." X casually brushed off his partner.

**"My intel was flawless, i expected better field work from my operatives"** Winters said coldly.

_Operative. _X hated when he used that word.

**"In any case, the chip was of secondary importance. It is time we take you to the source, and this time, you will not fail."**

"I'll take that as my next target." X smirked, casually ignoring the threat, that guy wasn't the boss of him!

He jumped over another rooftop, disappearing somewhere within the jump city skyline.

Meanwhile, a building away, a mysterious figure watched the curious shape disappear from the rooftop. The figure stood quietly on a rain swept rooftop as well. Even in the pouring black rain, it was still possible to see the white reflective flash of the figure's two Japanese katanas, which made a sickening flash as it reflected the light from the lightning.…..

Without a word, the figure jumped off the rooftop, and disappeared into the streets.


	32. Showdown Act 2

**ACT 2**

The rain increased as the night went on, drowning Jump City in what seemed like an endless downpour of water. Tonight, the streets were empty, as walking outside was equivalent to being under a waterfall. Yet, in all the darkness, the bright metropolis skyline still stood out, illuminating the city in a beauty that shone in the pale, ugly rainstorm.

The storm roared again, as flashes of white thunder growled in the sky. 

The conditions outside however, were the least of the worries for the city dignitaries who stood comfortably inside a grand hall, partying the night away.

The ballroom was a magnificent sight, with hundreds of guests attending. The gala itself was gargantuan, a vast empty hall that seemed to stretch on forever. The walls were whitewashed with marble, and were ornated by Roman pillars and statues. most of the wall however, was covered by a red velvet curtain, which covered the spaces between the statues and columns. In the center of the ballroom, stood a small platform, which was decorated with a lush variety of flowers and exotic fauna, so that to the recent visitor, he would enter to see an island of vegetation amonst the sea of dresses and suits.

All this splendour of course, was hosted by the mayor. Who celebrated his recent landslide victory against his inept opponent at the polls. Although it was a fair election, there was rumor that the mayor had….higher connections, but at this point, no one thought it wise to mention it, especially inside the mayor's mansion.

And now, the man of the hour, dressed in the finest Italian suit in the city, received and greeted his guests.

"I want to thank you so much for setting up this event Mr. Mayor." The Mayor turned now, to see Professor Chang, who had recently been released from prison. It was a very legitimate affair, with a full pardon from the mayor, and a pledge from the good doctor that he had turned away from his life of crime and reformed.

"It is my pleasure Chang," The mayor put on a political smile, "The least that I could do. You are after all, the other star of this party you know."

"Ah yes, I promise you sir, my invention can change the world as we know it." Professor Chang said enthusiasically. Gone was his biosuit, which he had adopted as his trademark costume. Now, he wore his formal scientists robe, black and trenchcoat like, but still fine enough to be presented as formal.

"I have no doubt." The mayor smirked, cigar still fresh in his mouth.

"I do hope, that it is safe here, It wasn't easy convincing my superiors at S.T.A.R labs to put it here on display. It alone, is worth more than I can imagine."

"Ah yes professor." The mayor replied smoothly. "Now, when can I see it?"

"I've had it placed in your study, under armed guard of course Mr. Mayor." Chang replied back. 

"Wonderful! Then let's have a look shall we?" The Mayor waved off the other dignitaries, telling them to enjoy the party while he led Chang up a grand flight of stairs to the second story of the mansion.

"Mayor Amp, I do have your reassurance that my work wil be safe in Jump City?" Chang asked nervously.

Maxwell Amp gave a confident nod. "Absolutely. Take a look around." He waved his arm as a gesture. Around them, were dozens of guards, security cameras, even mounted sentry turrets hidden in the roof. "Rest assured Professor, there are things in this house that are just as valuable as your invention. I'm not one to take any chances."

Amp continued on. "My security is state of the art. Nobody, and I mean, nobody, is getting in here without an invitation."

"I'm in."

X said slyly as he hid behind a bush on the outside of the estate. 

"Excellent." Winters replied on his communicator. "I have the schematics of this mansion. There are pressure sensors littered around the perimeter outisde, so watch where you step."

"Don't I always?" X said confidently, making his way towards one of the windows, ever so slowly, with almost catlike movements.

Guards were patrolling the yard as X did this, and the thief took this time to activate his cloaking device, rendering him invisible to the men outside, each one carrying a rifle.

"I'm hooking you up to their surveillance system now Winters." X commented as he took an X shaped transmitter, and planting it right on a security box outside the building. "How's the feed?"

"I have the feed from the cameras now, looks like they've got a few more guards than usual, but it is expected. The problems are all inside. Laser tripwires, camera surveillance, double density guard patrols at random intervals…"

"You never did tell me, why can't we just wait for them to take it to a lab? Not when there's every fat politican in the city here?" X asked.

"Because at the lab, they will have it protected by an army, here at least, it is a smaller army." 

"You're making me feel so much better you know." X said as he climbed one of the drain pipes along the walls of the mansion. As he reached the second floor, he opened one of the windows, and saw a gridline of laser trip wires that formed checkered pattern.

Moving on his instincts, X grabbed the top of the window sill, then with acrobatic skill, he planted his feet against the window, then pushed back. Just as quickly, he placed his feet together, and used the outward momentum and swung right back in, like a person on a swing set.

X made it right through the window, just through a small box in the laser gride that just fit him.

He landed in an empty office.

"Ok, what's next."

"You're nearly there, use the equipment I gave you to check the corridor."

"On it." X replied, turning on one of the new gadgets he received from Winters. With a click of his helmet, two lenses dropped down on his eyes, and suddenly, X was able to see through the walls.

"There's one guard approaching, looks like hes a regular." X said, implying that this guard would have a predictable patrol pattern.

"Move as soon as he is out of the way."

The guard was gone now, and X ran for the door, his own lock pick already at the door knob.

"Four seconds before the next guard." Winters cautioned

Three…. 

Two…..

One…. 

CLICK.

The guard returned, and found nothing amiss, the door still locked.

"Alright, the safe should be in this room." X said as he walked through what looked like the Mayor's study.

Then something caught his eye. 

"Hey….what's that?" X saw that one of the bookcases next to the wall was opened, and inside was another room, a secret room, full of computer monitors.

"It's a panic room." Winters explained. "State of the art and bomb proof too. But that is not your objective, move on."

X found the safe within minutes, and already started to work on it. 

"It's a new model, but it shouldn't be a problem for someone of your skill."

"Aw Winters, you're making me blush." X said sarcastically as he turned the dial on the safe, waiting for the clicks and noises he needed.

"Done." X opened the safe now, and in there was…

Nothing.

"It's not here."

"Checking Cameras…" Winters said. "Looks like Mayor Amp and Chang have left the party, they are your best bet."

"On my way." X said, but just then one of the computer consoles inside the secret room started bleeping. The silent alarm.

"What happened?" X whispered to Winters. "I didn't do anything." 

"Someone has tripped the pressure pads on the perimeter."

"Someone else crashing the party huh?"

Outside, in the pouring rain, a guard lay on the cold ground, a poison needle lodged in his head just above the ear.

"I'm in." A girl, dressed in a Japanese kimono and wearing a cat-like mask, said smoothly.

"Good, find your target, then terminate." The voice on the other end of her communicator said.

"We've got an intruder on the grounds." One of the guards inside the house said into his radio. "I'll go check it out."

Within moments, the man was gone.

"This should make my job much easier." X said, jumping down from the ceiling, where he had hidden from the guard.

The guard left the mansion now, and scanned the dark rain for any irregularities.

He saw two guards lying at his feet.

"Hello." A feminine voice said behind him.

"Wha-" The guard turned, just in time to receive a full sword swipe across his chest. He dropped his rifle, and cringed down onto the ground, undergoing several spasms of pain.

He looked up, and saw the green girl in the kimono, Chesire.

"Feeling a little sick?" Chesire asked. "These are my Shinto Dragon blades, sharpened on a microscopic level, and poisoned."

The guard made a gurgled sound and he struggled to speak, but found that he had no voice.

"The symptoms are simple. Paralysis will come to you soon, within minutes, your voluntary muscles: arms, legs, will be unable to move, paralyzed one by one. Then, you lose your conciousness, right…about now."

The man collapsed.

"Good night." Chesire said casually as she walked through the open door.

"Your next task should be to take out the cameras." Winters advised.

"Already on it." Red X took out three X ninja stars, then with amazing speed, turned the corner, hitting three cameras right in their lenses, which quickly sizzled them in electricity.

Then, X heard another sound in the hall, a blade swiping through the air, like a low whistle.

The camera fell to pieces at least a few seconds after the blade had cut though, a testament to how fine the blade was.

X snuck a peek around the corner, and saw that this impressive girl was carrying two blades that were way to big for a person her size, yet, she handled them like they were toys.

X gave a low whistle. "This girl means business."

"She's not your concern, stay focused." Winters advised.

"Can't I at least turn around and say hi?" Red X joked.

"She's headed your way. Go to the mayor, quick." Winters said.

"Fine." X quietly opened the door, where already too guards were standing outside the mayor's personal office, where he and Chang were talking.

"Uh oh." X said quickly, teleporting out of the way just in time, and behind one of the pillars in the room, just out of sight.

Just then, two sword swipes echoed through the hallway, and within less than a second, the doors into the room collapsed into four perfectly square pieces. Subtlety, X thought, wasn't this girl's strong point.

"What was that?" One of the guard said.

"Stay here," The other one cocked his rifle. "I'll go check it out."

Seconds later, he was gone.

"Now's my chance." X took out one of his X stars, then teleported right behind the guard.

The man only had a split second to react, but it wasn't fast enough as X placed a Red X on the guard's back. With a muffled scream, the guard was quickly shocked into unconsciousness.

Meanwhile, outside the room, X thought he heard rifle fire, followed by a quick whistle of a blade.

"You've got a few minutes before the guard comes around, I suggest you move now." Winters said, just as X approached the office.

"Mayor Amp, allow me to give you a demonstration of my new generation of nanotechnology." Professor Chang said proudly as he took out a tube of glowing blue liquid. 

"Now, this may seem like liquid to you Mr. Amp, but this is actually billions of tiny Nanodrones, each one recipient to any commands I give them. They can create and convert matter at a nanoscopic level."

Chang tossed a rock onto the table, and then dipped a bit of the blue liquid onto it.

"Now watch, as my nanodrones convert common rock, into something else." Chang punched in a few keys into a laptop on the desk, and within moments, the rock began changing color, eventually becoming shiny, and yellowish.

It had changed into gold. Solid Gold.

The mayor picked it up in his hand, and was amazed, it was truly genuine. 

"Impressive Professor, this will certainly revolutionize several things." Mayor Amp said.

"Indeed, imagine, we can fight disease at a Microscopic level, perform delicate operations without even cutting open a patient." Chang said enthusiastically.

"I was thinking of more….practical applications." The mayor smirked, and Chang sank into an uneasy silence.

"It doesn't take a genius to see the military application in this." Amp said smugly. "It can take apart tank divisions, or create new ones from useless wreckage."

"Please Mr. Amp. That was not my intention." Chang said sincerely.

Mayor Amp smiled. "Now what happened to that old professor Chang I used to know? I didn't think Prison would sap your imagination my good doctor. Besides, I have a client, a big client who is looking to move his operations into this city. This invention would be a nice way to show him just what we can offer."

Just then, a new voice cut through the air.

"Enjoy it while you can Mayor. It will be the last thing you ever see." 

"Crap." X jumped up, just in time to avoid barrage of kunai that was thrown right through the door. He dodged the sharp blades as they went straight through the door, hiting a guard next to the mayor and knocking him down. Within a second, the door resembled a piece of Swiss cheese.

He turned around now, and saw that catmask girl standing right there, both swords in her hands. 

"You know, I didn't expect a chick to come here." X commented.

"Didn't you know that two thirds of the world's greatest assassins, are women?" Chesire took her blade out, and menacingly pointed it at X. 

"Maybe I should consider a carreer change then." He chuckled.

"You're in my way." She hissed.

"Feel free to move me." X took made a mock bow, then within seconds, produced two of his Wrist blades that quickly whirred to life like a buzz saw. 

The girl showed momentary surprise at this, but rushed forward with her blades.

The two opponents met blades, and X widened his eyes in surprise as Chesire's blade cut through his like a hot knife through butter. The pieces of the red blade shattered all across the floor. 

"Well…that didn't go very well." X said.

He barely had time to dodge another one of Chesire's thrusts, he leaned backwards, feeling a hot slap of air across his face as the blade narrowly missed.

He didn't however, have time to block the kick that was aimed straight for him.

With a loud crash, X was sent flying into a mirror, shattering it into a million pieces. He groaned, to his surprise, that girl can kick!

"You know…when I said move me, I was thinking you could just ask nicely."

Chesire ignored him, and instead, turned to her target.

She made her way into the study, where the mayor and Chang had taken refuge behind his desk.

"Mayor Maxwell Amp." Chesire said coldly.

"Really my dear, this is most improper." Amp said, still shaken by the shock of the surprise, he was still however, conscious enough to press the silent alarm on his desk. "We haven't been introduced."

"I have a message from my employer." She took out three sharp kunai into her hands, to the mayor's surprise.

"Goodbye." 

A tap came onto her shoulder.

She turned, just in time to see X's fist meet her own mask.

With a grunt, Chesire found herself flying next to the mayor, landing right on his desk and knocking off all the computer on it.

The Mayor and Chang made a run for it.

"Let me help you with that." X stopped in front of Chang, and focused on the bottle of blue liquid in his hand. His target.

"No! I won't let yo-" Chang protested, just before a computer monitor was thrown right at his head from behind, knocking the poor professor out.

X grabbed the vial of liquid, and starred at the person who threw the computer. That green robed girl with the catmask. Now she was carrying not only two swords, but also two sickening needles attached to her wrist by metal cuff.

"Is that what you came for?" She asked impatiently.

X nodded.

"Then take it and get out of my face. My business is with the mayor, not you." Chesire said, then walked out of the room, following the mayor. Chesire followed slowly, just like a cat stalking its pray.

"You're clear all the way back to the window. Move it!" Winters said impatiently over the comm link.

X began to run, but for some reason, he didn't feel like leaving. Maybe it was stupidity, but for some reason, the focus on the job wasn't there. He was supposed to be the bad guy here, but…… now, that was hard to believe.

"You're running out of time X, this is the Police's department, let them handle it."

X shook his head. "They won't get here in time."

"This is Mayor Amp you're talking about. He does not deserve charity, let alone mercy. Get out, nothing else matters. Don't think you're a hero here." 

"Sorry Winters, didn't catch that last one. Static, I'll get back to you on that." X said smugly, then turned his communicator off.

"Fisher! Get your damn guards up here!" Mayor Amp shouted as he ran down the flight of stairs.

Chesire took her time, arming a small bomb and tossing it down the stairs after Amp.

Before the rest of the guards around the dining room could react, a large explosion engulfed the entire room. Guards were thrown back, while all the silverware and windows shattered. The floor itself shook violently.

The blast itself, threw Mayor Amp helplessly onto the ground, his back scorched from the blast.

"Goodbye." Chesire took out her poisoned blades, walking slowly down the stairs. 

She then turned around, to parry one of X's blades that he threw at her.

"You've made a mistake coming back here." She hissed through her mask. 

"I'll get back to you on that." X said smugly, crouching down to avoid two sword swipes that just missed his head, and performing a sweeping kick on Chesire's legs. The assassin grunted, then slipped off the balcony as she fell backwards from the kick.

X meanwhile went down the stairs to help Amp up, propping him on his shoulder. He remembered that panic room he saw some time ago…that was his best bet.

As he made his way up the stairs, at least six guards were there waiting for him.

"It's the intruder! Fire!" They all leveled their rifles.

Go for the girl with the five foot sword you idiots

"You'll have to excuse me Mr. Mayor." Red X pushed Amp towards two of the guards, who quickly raised their guns to avoid hitting their boss. Then he turned around, and flung two Electric X's at his two other opponents, shocking them as the X dug right through their suits.

He then charged, doing a split kick that took two guards in their chins. The last guard back away, firing as he neared the edge.

A girl reached up from the ledge, two poisoned needles in her hands. The guard gurgled in surprise as the girl grasped his throat from behind, burying the two needles on the bottom part of his mouth. 

The guard was pulled down, and as soon as that happened, Chesire jumped back up.

"Stop them!" Two more guards appeared, and Chesire quickly leaped onto the shoulders of one of the guards, digging her poisoned claw into his back while leaping towards the next panicked guard with both swords flashing.

"Man, you're heavy." X grunted as he propped the mayor on his shoulder, trodding towards the safe room in his study.

Chesire saw where they were going, and a smirk went on behind her mask.

"Your precious Panic room won't save you now Amp." Chesire took out a switch from her robe, and pressed it.

X had made it to the room, and already placed the semi-conscious mayor down onto a chair inside. He gave a neat whistle as he looked around. The walls were all shiny, metallic, made from solid titanium. Nothing was getting in here.

Just as he was about to close the door, a 'beep' came from behind him. 

There was a small, plastic object on the counter of the desk, that wasn't there before when he first saw the room.

There was a timer on it.

5….. 

4…..

3….. 

"Note to self: Don't be a hero."


	33. Showdown Act 3

A huge explosion ripped through the Mayor's study, throwing bookcases and tables into the air as if they were toy furniture. Within the blast, a blazing inferno of computer parts and burning pages swirled violently, ripping carpet off the floor and shattering all the windows, before disappearing within an instant, dissipating into a cloud of debris and rubble that shook the entire building. The explosion even drowned out the screams of the guests downstairs, terrified by the attack.

Amid the burning books and shelves in the room, the sinister flash of a blade appeared as Chesire entered the room, a guard thumping down quietly onto the floor as she released his neck from her hand.

She looked at the source of the explosion, and cursed.

The safe room was completely shut, and the bomb had exploded outside.

iThat damn thief…./i

"Report." The cold voice on her communicator came to life.

"The target made it to the safe room, the plan failed." Chesire said bitterly, wiping the blade of her sword on her robe.

"I had expected better Chesire." The voice rang with disappointment.

"I do not fail." Chesire hissed. "I will wait for them to come out."

"You've done enough damage. Leave, and return to base." The voice said calmly.

Sounds were coming from downstairs now. Footsteps. Dozens of them, along with shouts. The police were here.

By the time the police began pounding on the study door, She was gone.

b/b

X opened the blast doors quietly now, red ninja star already in his hand in case the crazy broad decided to do a sneak attack. But to his pleasant surprise, she was gone. The mayor, behind him, sat in his chair, still recovering from the daze of the blast.

"Heh. That was easy enough." X said, then turned around to give the mayor a casual salute before strudding towards the window.

The wooden doors to the study burst open now as a half dozen cops entered the room. They broke down the door so forcefully that it was completely ripped off its hinges.

Each Swat member, dressed in full body armor and suit, trained their rifles at Red X.

X raised his hands, ever so slowly.

"Uh..I know this looks bad-"

"That's him! Open fire!" One of the guards shouted. Within seconds, X found himself being strafed by a barrage of rifle fire.

X bolted for the door, flipping to avoid a shot at his feet while throwing two ninja stars at his assailants. Two swat members grunted as their weapons were knocked right out of their hands.

He made it to the window, wasting no time, and jumped right through, doing another somersault flip before landing gracefully onto the ground. It was all clear from here now, and X ran straight for the perimeter wall.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me." X groaned.

The five titans had made it to the scene, just after everything had happened. The two girls were once again flying in the air, while Cyborg and Beast Boy flanked Robin.

"I got to hand it to ya kid, you're timing is iperfect/i"

"It's what I do." Robin replied back.

"Guess it wouldn't mean much if I said I had nothing to do with that?" Red X gestured back at the mansion, which was already burning from the fire of the previous explosions. Fire trucks rushed into the grounds, while the policemen evacuated the mayor and his guests from the collapsing building.

"Titans! Go!" Robin shouted, and the five superheroes were already onto X.

X, in a bold move, just rushed the five heroes head on.

Cyborg was up front, hoping that his bigger size can block X like a brick wall.

Red X jumped up, avoiding a sonic blast that blew a smoking crater into the ground, then threw his own ninja star at the robot man.

Cyborg however, had upgraded his cybernetic body since their last encounter, to make it more responsive to his reflexes. With a surprisingly fast move, Cyborg caught it in mid air, just inches from his face.

"Got it!" Cyborg shouted.

"No, got you." Red X replied, then within seconds, Cyborg screamed as the Ninja Star in his hand came to life, zapping him in a blanket of red electricity.

Tin man's down.

"Azarath…Metrion…." Raven gathered black energy into her hands. While Beast Boy charged at X as a ram.

X however, was faster, he jumped onto Beast Boy's back, then teleported right behind Raven, pulling her hood over her eyes and throwing her off.

"Let's skip the fancy chat shall we?" X smirked, then gave Raven a firm kick in the back. The sorceresss tumbled forward and fell onto the ground.

"You will leave my friend alone!" Starfire charged at X with both eyes blazing.

X took out two huge ninja stars from his robe, these ones requiring his whole palm just to hold it. Just as quickly as he produced them, he threw them at Starfire.

The Tamaranian, unphased by this new threat, continued her charge, confident that she could cut straight through those two projectiles. But without warning, they exploded, blinding her in a white flash.

"Aaaah!" Starfire screamed, falling down onto the ground.

While this was all happening, X didn't even stop running. He was cutting through the titans like a hot knife through butter.

He stopped again, and saw that Robin in his path.

"Kid, we can only do this so many times." Red X gave a weary sigh, then suddenly, with renewed energy, charged straight at Robin.

"You're not getting out of here!" Robin said firmly, taking out his bo staff and charging the thief. He swung and hit nothing, X dove forward, jumping on Robin's Bo staff as it hit the ground, then putting a foot on the boy wonder's shoulder.

"Thanks for the assist." X said smugly, then did a flip so that his hands landed on the top of the wall, then he dropped to the other side, into the streets, where a sleek black motorcycle was parked in an alleyway. Within seconds, the roar of a motorcycle was heard from the other side of the wall as X sped away.

"Aw man…." Beast Boy complained. "How many times are we gonna keep this up?"

"Until we catch him." Robin retracted his bo staff and placed it back into his belt. Cyborg and Raven, having recovered from their blows, stood next to their teammates.

"So, what next?" Cyborg asked.

"Yes, how can we guess where the Red X is going to next?"

"We don't have to guess Starfire." Robin said calmly, taking out his communicator.

"I know."

b/b

The facility was darkened, foreboding, and gloomy. Perfect place for a criminal hide out. X thought.

He followed Winter's instructions precisely, meeting him in this specified location. All around him, he saw that he could barely make out any details in the room, and the sensors he had installed in his masks weren't picking up much either. This room was empty, devoid of life and light, save for a dimly lit circle in the center of the facility, cast on by an overhead light.

X stood uneasily as he tried to make out any shapes in the chamber, but there was nothing, save for the eerie sound of machinery in some other part of the building.

But still…something was not right.

"HYAH!" A voice screamed out, accompanied by a flash.

X widened his eyes in surprise, then did a back flip to avoid the sword slice, which just cut through his tattered cape.

After the narrow escape, X looked up and saw a very familiar figure standing in the limelight.

"You?" X said, trying to hide his surprise. "I had no idea this was going to be a party."

"You will pay dearly for this thief." Chesire took out a scimitar, along with her katana, so that she had two weapons in her hands. The scimitar itself, was twisted in a very sadistic way, almost like a cat tail.

She jumped into the air, fully intending to slice X's head in half. But the rogue was faster, and he rolled out of the way, letting Chesire hit nothing but the floor. The sound of steel clashing on concrete rang throughout the chamber.

Chesire reached into her robe, and took out five needles in her hands.

"The tips of my blades are laced with Curare poison, which paralyze you. While these needles contain Ricin, a favourite among assassins. You will experience them both first hand."

X shrugged. Everyone this day had either been trying to kill, maim, burn, and capture him, how was this different? Red X took out his own blades, shaped in Red Xs.

"You will pay for what you did to my mission, and breaking into our headquarters." She hissed.

"huh?" X barely had time to squeeze this last line in as he narrowly dodged the needles thrown by Chesire. The girl rushed him afterwards, both swords flashing, and X obliged, taking out his own ninja stars and meeting her with his own parry.

The two sets of blades locked as the two combatants met, and X grunted as he tried to hold the poisoned blades away from his face. This girl was stronger than she looked.

"Wait…..this is my headquarters. I work here!" X said, indignant.

"Actually….I work here." A third voice rang out, echoing the facility.

Red X and Chesire froze, looking around the chamber for the source of the voice, but in vain. The two still had each other locked in a death struggle, but slowly, they began easing their weapons, until finally, the two rogues stood quietly in the light, a temporary unspoken truce.

"Winters?" X shouted out, he was slightly confused. This voice was different.

"No…Winters is another associate of mine." A figure appeared on the ground level, and he slowly walked into the light. He wore the same armour as the commando bots, only more reinforced. Black armour laced with steel reinforcements on the shoulders and waist. He almost looked like the robot help he received, but with two differences, he wore a dark grey sash across his chest, probably containing some weapons, and he had a mask that was split in half, with a black and orange side. X noted that the black side did not have an eye hole in it.

"Call me Slade. I'm sure Robin has told you all about me." He spoke in a very icy, formal voice.

"Just give me the money for this, and we're done." Red X held up the vial of nanodrone substance.

"Oh, I'm afraid we won't be done there." Slade said smoothly.

"Then why did you have me do it?" Red X said, his voice not faltering once. He wasn't going to be intimidated.

"I wanted to see if you were the real deal. Partner." Slade chuckled.

"You thought it was a simple job, but It was a test. With the Hive Academy destroyed, I required a new source for operatives. That was when I heard of you two. The best thief, and assassin in the business."

"Wait, you set us up to do jobs, at the same place?" Chesire said.

"That was the test." Slade said casually.

Chesire and X stood there quietly, hands gripped readily on their weapons.

"You see, I've come to learn that when you do business with partners, it is necessary for them to listen to your instructions, to never disobey orders. And that they have the skills to complete the job. That way, you know you can trust them in the field. You both failed that test. In skills, and obedience. I'm very disappointed." Slade shook his head, sighing.

"Because I SOOOO want to work with you." Red X said sarcastically.

"I was looking for a partner, but I guess you are nothing but a common thief after all. I do thank you for those Nanodrones however." Slade said.

"Buddy, you sure have a twisted definition of having a partner." X thought about breaking the vial right now, but before he could do anything, a gunshot echoed the chamber, and suddenly, X found that the vial in his hand was swept out of his hand, and within a second, were carried straight to Slade.

"It's sad really, a waste of fine potential. And since you've seen my operations, you won't be allowed to leave here. At all."

The lights flashed on, and for a second, X was blinded by the brilliant flash. The entire room was revealed now, and in the oblong chamber, stood dozens of robots. There were the robot commandos, each one carrying a rifle, while supporting them, were new robots he never saw before. Ones that were twice as big as the other ones, with a cyclop eye, and clamps for hands.

"So……..truce?" X said smugly to Chesire.

"For now." The assassin girl readied herself, just as three robots wielding samurai katanas landed right in front of her.

The robots all fired.

In that instant, X jumped into the air, throwing half a dozen Ninja stars at the commandos in front of him, splitting their heads in half as his stars easily cracked through their armor.

A large Robot attempted to body check him, but X easily dodged the lumbering android's charge, and instead, he teleported behind the Robot's back, placing a huge X on him, which blew up just as X jumped off his back, moving to another Robot. All the while dodging a huge wall of laser fire.

More Robots took sniping positions on the floor, and one such android took aim, only to receive a metal needle in its optic sensors, blinding it effectively.

Two more flashes followed, and when the dust settled, the Robot saw Chesire in front of him. Before he could move, his arms fell off, followed by his torso as he was sliced clean through.

The katana wielding robots charged, and Chesire stepped in, crossing her arms, she pulled another katana from her sheath with her right, and a dagger from her robe with her left. She parried the first Robot, who overstretched its lunge, and Chesire pulled her dagger back and punched the Commando in the face.

Before that Robot even went down, the second robot, who had parried her sword, pulled back for another slice. The falling robot she punched had freed her dagger hand, and she spanned out, ripping it straight into her current opponent's chest, slicing it open and revealing a huge mesh of wires and computer chips.

Two Robots appeared behind her, rifles trained.

Before they could even fire, X teleported behind them, placing two shock X's on their backs. The commandos twitched in apparent pain as a surge of red electricity fried their circuits. They fell on the ground, deactivated.

"That's one you owe me." X winked.

Chesire, with a grunt, threw her sword straight at X, and to his surprise, it missed his head by a mere inch. It hit instead, a large robot straight in the chest. It froze in its place, and X saw that the Robot was just about to crush his head with its clamp.

Red X shrugged. "What ….these? I could've-"

He was cut off by a swath of laser fire, forcing both of them down to find cover behind a bunch of boxes.

A robot fired a rocket, and within seconds, the shelter had disappeared in a massive blast, which tore through the floor.

Chesire and Red X stood in the corner, all their weapons at the ready, as if they were prepared to make their last stand.

Suddenly, the laser fire stopped, to both their surprises. And moments later, Slade stepped in front of his legion of Robots, confident that he had won his victory.

"That didn't take long." Slade said tauntingly, yet in his smooth calculating voice. "Once again, you disappoint me, but I'm not surprised. You're a thief and an amateur assassin, it's expected. All this time, you were playing checkers, while I was playing chess."

The Robots all cocked their rifles, charging up their weapons.

"And like one of my pieces, you fell so easily into my trap."

X, to Slade's surprise, gave out a smirk.

"Then I guess this is makes two of us." Red X said in reply.

The thief reached for his cape now, and Slade was genuinely wondering whether the thief had lost his mind.

But then he widened his eyes in shock as he saw it, On Red X's constume, where a small beeping light was attached to his cape. A bird-shaped tracer.

At that instant, the walls behind Slade and his robots exploded, throwing up a huge cloud of smoke into the chamber. Through the smoking rubble, were the silhouettes of five very familiar heroes.

"I guess this is checkmate." X said smugly.

"Um…dude, who's the crazy ninja chick with the swords?" Beast Boy asked in confusion. The rest of the Titans assembled around the green changeling, Cyborg amped up his sonic cannon, and Raven and Star both charged up their hands.

"The Teen Titans." Slade said civilly, sounding like he was expecting them. Slade was a man who was proud in not showing surprise. He waved his hand in gesture towards his armed robots, who were slowly training their guns to the new arrivals.

"Now's our chance." X quietly turned to Chesire and nodded. "Bird Boy's so obsessed with this guy, there's no way he's going to pass him up to chase us." He said in a very confident voice.

Robin took out his bo staff, then turned to his team.

"You guys, take Slade. X is mine." Robin gave a determined glare to X.

In that instant, everyone in the room dropped their collective mouths.

"Okay! Okay!" Beast Boy slid his way in front of Robin. "Who are you, and what did you do with Robin?" The green titan asked in exasperation.

"I'll explain later." Was all Robin said. "Titans, Go!"

More robots appeared in the chamber now, and the Titans wasted no time in jumping into battle.

b/b

"Oh great…." X sighed. "Looks like I've made his list."

Red X gave Chesire a wink.

"Shall we?"

Without even an answer, the girl ran forward, flashing out two more swords from her sleeves and rushing a dozen Slade bots. Before the Robots could collectively pull the triggers on their rifles, she was already running them through. One had his mask cut in half horizontally, with its temple detached from the rest of its body, while two others had their arms and legs sliced off. When one robot fired a shot at Chesire, she somersaulted into the air, landing her sword point on the Robot's shoulder, before swinging back down and kicking the robot in the back, sword still impaled in it.

X covered for her, while Chesire was in the air, he threw half a dozen ninja stars that stuck onto a group of robots, eventually expanding into a huge puddle of red glue that stuck the robots together.

A robot went behind him with a sword, and instantly swung down, only to hit nothing as X phased out of sight, reappearing behind the commando with his X wrist buzzsaw, and slicing his head in half vertically.

While this was happening, the rest of the titans continued the fight in the chamber, starbolts, sonic blasts and explosions began shaking the building as the five heroes tried to fight their way through the army.

At least two dozen Robots rushed forward in an attempt to pin Robin down, but the wily boy wonder used his bo staff as a pole vault, leaping straight up from the crowd and landing right behind them. Cyborg covered instantly, and a sonic cannon took out half the crowd in a brilliant blue flash, sending robot parts scattering all over the room in smoking ruin.

More Robots were taken out as a flurry of Starbolts peppered the room, burning holes in robots like they were swiss cheese. Through the green-lit smoke, the silhouette of the alien titan was seen, both hands lit green along with her eyes.

The robots opened fire, only to miss as the Tamaranian took to the skies, swerving left and right to avoid the barrage of laser fire that scarred the walls she flew past.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"

A black shroud surrounded the robots now, and seconds later, a cluster of bolts, nails and screws began forming in the air, all of them stripped from the Slade bots, who instantly fell to pieces at their dismantling.

Beast Boy was next to move, transforming into a huge Siberian tiger, the green titan used his catlike reflexes to dodge all the lasers directed at him, then he leaped forward, eviscerating two Slade bots with his giant claws.

Cyborg ran up to one of the larger robots, who were the heavy artillery in this battle, carrying shoulder mounted rockets and lasers the size of tank barrels. In a savage punch, Cyborg ripped right through the body of one of these robots before it could fire, spraying the air with bits of metal and circuitry, while leaving a neat hole in the shape of him inside the gargantuan droid. Seconds later, the robot exploded, taking several slade bots with it.

Starfire flew in beside Cyborg, aiming for the enemies to his right while Cyborg poured a steady sonic blast to his left. The two literally cut a burning path through the crowd, leaving behind dismantled smoking bodies in their wake.

Star fired another one of her eye lasers, which penetrated through three robots, throwing them all back. The laser continued its way through the ranks, going past robin who was slicing through the shoulder of a Slade droid with his sword.

Ahead of him, he saw a series of flashes and explosions, where two people were fighting in the middle of this free-for-all. The room sounded like something from a war zone. Rockets, lasers and explosions reverberated through the air, and Robin ducked unconsciously as a rocket shot up on the ceiling, dropping piles of soot and rubble to the floor.

The closest one was Chesire, who gracefully dodged each robot's attack with cat-like reflexes. Digging her wrist blade into the neck of one robot, she pounced at another one, ripping its face off with her claws.

She then took her sword out of the chest of a downed robot, just in time to see two bird-a-rangs flying straight at her through the smoke.

A flash of steel appeared as both blades contacted, and Chesire soon found herself holding a sword that was cut in two.

Wasting no time, she momentarily rolled up the sleeve of her robe, showing two sharp claw-like blades attached to her hands.

X teleported right next to Chesire, after shocking a robot with his X star.

"So…just how many swords do you keep under that robe?" The thief asked slyly.

Chesire replied with a hiss, pointing her claw at X.

"Ok..gotcha." X winked.

"I thought you didn't like partners." Robin, surprised at the appearance of Chesire, said grimly.

"Call it a relationship of convenience kid, and I made a good choice." X gave Chesire a nod.

"Of course, she made an even better choice." X shot a wink.

"I will remember to cut out your tongue after this." Chesire finally spoke.

"You can obviously tell she's not a people person, don't blame her, its part of her job description. Now, let us out, you're good kid, but not crazy psycho sword chopping girl good." X explained smugly.

Robin shot a grin. "Well then, I guess you were right about it being a convenience." He pointed to behind X.

"What-?" X said in confusion, then the thief turned around.

Chesire, the ninja cat girl, was gone.

"C'est La Vie." X shrugged, then he took out his wrist blades.

Just then, X teleported up onto the ceiling, kicking open a skylight and instantly jumped to the roof.

Robin followed.

b/b

More explosions shook the room, as a dozen robots grabbed onto Starfire as she flew to the skies, so that it looked like a gigantic mass of robots was flying in a neat ball shape. The Tamaranian struggled to throw them off, then figured out a method by slamming herself right into the floor, flattening all the robots with a single blow.

Slade meanwhile, ran through the chaos, avoiding the bodies of his fallen minions, he quickly disappeared through a door that led into a dark hallway, letting three Slade commandos cover for him.

"I believe Slade is getting away!" Starfire pointed out.

"Oh no he isn't!" Cyborg said fiercely, then blasted the three Slade bots who guarded the door into oblivion.

"Come on team!" Cyborg waved to the other titans. "We got work to do!"

The three titans, finishing up their battles, broke off engagement, and quickly ran down the hallway with Slade, who's footsteps were already fading into the darkness.

b/b

Outside, it was still raining hard, and X shivered as he felt the cold slap of rain hit his body, but it was more than made up for by the seering adrenaline he was feeling inside. There was no way he, Red X, the best thief in Jump City, was getting caught tonight. He figured it would be no problem.

After all, fear and adrenaline gives men wings.

He ran along the cold rooftop, braving the howling wind and sleets of rain, which was already beginning to soak through his uniform and dripping from his mask. He parked his bike just outside the complex. All he had to do was reach the edge of the roof.

Then HE stepped in.

Robin was just as soaked as Red X, his hair, usually spiky, was now soaked so that it went flat, strands of hair dropping down to his eye level.

X gave a chuckle. One minute ago, he was so sure that he was home free, now the absurdity of this situation, Robin giving up Slade for him, fighting in the freezing rain, this was just making him laugh.

"What are you doing kid? That's the big bad guy!" X said in disbelief.

"You're my business tonight X." Robin said, determined.

"As flattered as I am by all this attention, you aren't going to start stalking me now are you?" X chuckled slyly.

"You're just a piece of my unfinished business." Robin replied back.

X sighed, shaking his head. "Oh great, well then, let's just get it over with. The whole 'I'm going to take you to jail and unmask you' speech!"

Robin rushed forward, punching X right in the face.

The vigilante groaned, falling down onto the soaked rooftop. Didn't expect that.

"Touche kid, Touche." X smirked, then he charged with his wrist saw blades.

b/b

The four titans made their way across the dark hallway, Cyborg led the way with his shoulder mounted light. Not a sound echoed through the darkness, save for the far off sound of footsteps.

Slade.

The four titans ran down the hallway, turning corners and winding halls. Rain slapped against the windows of the complex, while howling gusts of wind were heard even from inside.

The quiet however, was suddenly broken as a flash of lightning echoed through the halls, temporarily lighting everything in the room in a bizarre eerie white.

There, standing in the middle of the hallway, was the familiar silhouette of the man in armor.

"You've got no place to run now Slade. This is a dead end." Cyborg shouted to the end of the hallway, taking out his sonic cannon.

"It's over." Raven said firmly.

"For you perhaps." Slade replied in his suave calculated voice. "I'm surprised Robin thought you could catch me." He chuckled. "The first rule of war is to never reinforce failure."

"Oh yeah!" Beast Boy said fiercely. "We'll show you just what we can do."

"Trust me my green friend, tonight…..I will be the one doing the teaching." Slade smirked, another flash of lightning illuminated the room, just enough for the titans to see Slade cross his arms, stretching them back out and revealing two bo staffs, One in each hand.

The villain walked slowly, deliberately, towards them.

"Titans!" Cyborg gritted his teeth, annoyed at Slade's arrogant smugness. "Go!"

Cyborg and Beast Boy charged, while Raven and Starfire flew right behind them.

"Here's a little lesson in strategy titans." Slade said smoothly as he continued walking. Cyborg didn't even bother listening to him, he charged his sonic cannon, preparing to fire it as he ran.

Slade pressed a button on his bo staff.

Suddenly, the entire hallway lit up as clear as day, as three bombs went off right in front of the titans. Beast Boy, caught unawares by the blast, was thrown back while Starfire and Raven were stopped right in their tracks.

Cyborg, his metallic body strong enough to take the brunt of the blast, simply brushed it off, one of the perks of being half machine. He ran through, using his thermal sensors to try and pick up Slade through the smoke.

He didn't have a chance as he felt a bo staff wrap around his neck, his assailant right behind him.

"First, take out the leader." Slade said as if he were instructing a pupil. Then he took out his other bo staff and stabbed it straight into Cyborg's kneecap.

"Even Robots have joints, Joints that can be disconnected and broken." A sickening crack sounded and Cyborg screamed in agony as Slade rapidly stabbed his free bo staff into Cyborg's other knee and elbow, essentially cracking them all.

The robotic titan fell to the ground, unable to move his legs or arms.

"Next…." Slade spoke to the downed Cyborg in a sinister voice. "You take out the most powerful one."

"Raven!" Cyborg shouted through the smoke.

"Azarath, Metrion…." Raven instantly began chanting, a spell to clear the smoke and to throw up a defensive barrier in front of her.

"Zin-"

She didn't even get to finish, a hand stabbed forward from the smoke, taking Raven just below the ribs. The sorceress gasped, feeling her insides pushing all the air from her throat.

Raven fell onto the ground, a sickening feeling overcoming her instantly that quickly developed into pain. She held her throat in a tightened grip, as if she were about to spew out all her organs.

"Magic isn't useful unless you can say the words." He tossed Raven a handkerchief from his belt. "I hit your liver, so you may feel the need to vomit in the next few seconds. Enjoy."

"Next, you take out the long range hitter." Slade shouted through the smoke to Cyborg, just as Starfire burst through the smoke, firing a flurry of starbolts at Slade.

There was no way Slade could dodge this, and he flew back against the wall as he was hit again and again by green blasts of energy. Starfire closed the distance, firing more as she charged.

Right into the barrel of Slade's laser pistol.

He pulled the trigger.

In one close range shot, he did what no other slade bot had been able to do with a power rifle, he took out Starfire. The Tamaranian grunted as she flew back, the concentrated blast at such a close range was enough to hurt even her.

Slade continued walking forward, with only a green Siberian tiger in his path. The green beast growled ferociously as its prey neared.

Slade walked on, oblivious of the fact that he was walking towards the jaws of a twelve foot killer. He kept walking, his one eye staring straight ahead.

Then, Beast Boy made his move, pouncing right at Slade in an attempt to claw off his face.

Slade then did a surprising move. Instead of dodging the tiger, or backing away, he met Beast Boy with his own charge, sticking his hand out and slamming Beast Boy right in the throat. In one simple hand lock, the twelve foot tiger was rendered helpless.

"Just like Terra, you rely too much on your instincts." Slade chuckled, instantly rewarded with a death glare from the green titan, but he had no time to respond. Slade violently choke slammed Beast Boy down onto the ground.

"Be sure to give her my regards." Slade took out his pistol, and aimed it straight at the downed Beast Boy.

Just then however, a concentrated blast of energy hit him in the back, and Slade screamed in pain as he was thrown right into the wall, the burning blue energy still smoking on his back.

"Boo Yah." Cyborg got back up. Just because a robot's joints could be broken doesn't mean they can't be repaired instantly.

"Impressive, but you forget the fact that half your team is incapacitated." Slade gestured towards a reeling Beast Boy and Raven on the ground, Starfire had recovered from her blast and was back in the air.

Slade took out his bo staff, and flipped out a switch.

"I'll be sure to keep in touch with you. For old times sake." Slade said slyly.

Cyborg rushed Slade, but just then, the villain pressed the button, tearing the hallway in half with another explosion. Slade quickly disappeared behind the rubble.

"Uh…Dude….what happened?" Beast Boy rubbed his head.

Just then, red sirens began wailing throughout the building.

"Slade must've started a countdown." Cyborg said in frustration.

"Raven, are you damaged?" Starfire helped Raven to her feet, but she was still choking on her own blood and spit, they would have to leave the old fashioned way.

"Let's get out of here!" Cyborg shouted. And the other titans wasted no time, and ran.

b/b

Sparks flew as Robin and X met blades once again, X quickly disengaged, back flipping to avoid two more sword swipes from Robin.

Robin and X were running side by side across the rooftop now, and X attacked, throwing several exploding X's Robin's way, but the boy wonder dodged each one seamlessly with a jump, then a barrel roll, avoiding the series of explosions which dotted the rooftop.

Robin went forward with another sword slice, only to have X do a backflip, then kick Robin right in the chin.

"What'sa matter kid? Running out of steam?" X said tauntingly.

Robin didn't reply, instead, he angled his blade slightly so that the reflective side faced X.

"Fancy moves there." X chuckled.

Then a flash of lightning came down, and X suddenly realized what Robin was doing.

The blinding light was reflected off the sword, and X suddenly found himself disoriented from the flash.

The next image he saw was Robin's boot coming towards his face.

X teleported right above robin, only to find that while he was jumping down, the boy wonder had angled his sword upwards so that its tip faced X. But that was also another distraction, in Robin's other hand, was an explosive disc.

A blast shook the roof instantly, and Robin grunted as X responded with his own explosive X, so that both combatants were thrown across, Robin's sword and Red X's ninja stars were both lying on the ground.

Robin rushed forward, doing a sweep kick at X's feet. X replied with a jump kick, so that both assailants missed each other.

"Getting tired?" X said smugly.

"I can keep this up all night." Robin said sternly.

"Peachy."

Before anything else happened, the entire world suddenly shook.

The rooftop lifted completely into the air as a huge blast ripped through it. Sections of the roof disappeared into a huge roaring inferno that shot up a hundred feet into the air.

Robin and X were thrown apart by the blast, and Robin groaned as he lay on the burning roof. Rubbing his head, Robin got up, and saw that X was stranded on a corner of the rooftop that was separated from the rest of the building by a wall of flame. X too, was just getting up.

Robin quickly reached into his belt and took a grappling gun, firing it above the flames so that it hit a section of the warehouse wall just above X.

"Grab it! I'll haul you over." Robin shouted.

X hesitated for a second, as if weighing the benefits of accepting this help. Meanwhile, more explosions ripped through the roof.

Red X smirked.

"Looks like you win this one kid. You want my mask?" X smirked, just as more flames engulfed his part of the rooftop.

"Wait!" Robin ran towards X.

"Catchya later." X saluted.

Within that instant, another explosion, this one the biggest yet, and with it, X instantly vanished within a ball of flame.

Robin lifted his cloak, shielding his eyes from the blinding light as the explosion took out almost half the rooftop. Shattering all the windows in the surrounding neighbourhoods.

It was over.

b/b

The police arrived on the scene, along with the firefighters, but by that time, the titans were all gone, already back at the tower where Robin debriefed them in the evidence room.

"So…..X got away?" Beast Boy asked curiously.

"I guess so." Cyborg replied back. They had searched the wreckage at least half a dozen times, there wasn't a trace of anything there.

"Just this." Robin held the object in his hand, knowing that somewhere, out there, X was probably running. He was sure of it.

"Slade and X won't be so lucky next time." Raven said firmly.

"There will be another day Robin." Starfire said reassuringly, just as Robin pinned up the object on the wall of his evidence room. The one thing he had sworn to get for all those months.

The Mask of Red X.

"So….." Beast Boy asked curiously, breaking the silence. "Why didn't you go all freaking out at us when we told you Slade escaped?" The other Titans leaned towards Robin, also wondering the same thing.

"Because…." Robin turned around. "I don't know why, but I don't think that was Slade."

The other Titans widened their eyes in surprise, but Robin said nothing more as he quietly left the room.

b/b

Meanwhile, miles away from the warehouse. A body was lying alone on a desolate stretch of Jump City's beach. It was a slumped, lifeless figure, dressed in dark grey armor and sporting an orange black mask. Inside its hollowed out computerized head, a hand reach in, and retrieved the object.

The blue vial of nanotech matter.

Having gotten what he had came for. The figure turned away from the Slade Robot, and disappeared within the darkness, walking along the dark stretch of the beach……

The End


	34. Trial Act 1

**Episode 9: Trial**

The storm had abated now, and Jump City was finally experiencing the weather it had been most known for, bright, beautiful, and clear sunny skies. The waters of the bay glistened brilliantly as the sun was also accompanied by a gentle warm breeze.

The perfect day to introduce Starfire into a little thing earthlings call: sports.

"You see Star, this game is called Basketball." Cyborg, holding the orange ball in his hand, explained patiently. "The objective of the game is to get it into that basket over there." He pointed to the basket at the end of the court, all of which were located on the rooftop of Titans Tower.

Raven spent her time meditating at the edge of the roof platform, already losing herself in those three words she always chanted, while at the same time, feeling relaxed by the gentle breeze that blew through her.

Beast Boy meanwhile, leaned against the wall impatiently. With Raven out, this was going to be two on two, and immediately of course, Beast Boy chose Robin to be his partner, for obvious reasons. But when it came to Cy's choice, it became apparently obvious that Star had no clue how to play the 'ball of the basket' and thus, prompted the shotgun mini lesson.

"And you DRIBBLE the ball Star. You can't run with it, that is called traveling." Cyborg lectured on.

"But how can I if I have not done the 'packing', and I am only going a short distance." The Tamaranian replied in confusement.

This was going to take some time.

"That's ok Star." Robin finally spoke out, stepping onto the court. "We can play slow at first, so you can get used to the rules."

"Yeah guys, I want to play BEFORE the sun goes down." Beast Boy said in a slightly irritated tone.

Robin smirked, then took his position in front of Cyborg at center court, Starfire covering his flank.

"Let's do this." The Boy wonder grinned.

Cyborg had possession at first, and he waved his hand at Star, gesturing her to go down further into the court. While that was happening, the robotic titan dribbled the ball.

Robin instantly darted forward with karate-like reflexes, but Cyborg's scanners, which he built in for the purpose of this game, picked up the increase in Robin's heart beat and thus anticipated it. Cy shot a grin, then swerved left, avoiding Robin's steal, but he could not move fast enough to get past Beast boy, who transformed into an octopus, all eight arms in the air.

"Here Star!" Cyborg bounced the ball down along the court, below the reach of BB's arms, and the Tamaranian instantly found herself in possession of the ball.

"Shoot, you can do it!" Cyborg yelled in encouragement, while Beast Boy transformed into a Cheetah to quickly rush to the end of the court.

"I will try." Starfire said innococently, what was it that Cyborg said again? Aim for the basket? She squinted her eyes to focus on the target, the nervousness getting over her. By that time, Beast boy had already reached the basket and had transformed into a monkey, jumping on top of the rim.

"Here I go!" Starfire curled her arm back, and in that instant, SHOT the basketball forward like a baseball. It all happened so fast that Beast Boy barely had time to transform back.

"EEEEEK!" The green titan screamed as the basketball obliterated not only the basket, but the rim and the post, all of which exploded into a cloud of dust and rubble as the basketball shot straight through it, launching into the horizon as a small dot until finally, it disappeared.

"Oh." Starfire remarked. "Does that mean we are victorious?" She asked Cyborg.

"Let's try something different." Cyborg said, still dropping his mouth in amazement.

"How about football?" Robin suggested.

This one seemed better. Starfire knew the rules were simply, and clutching the ball, she dove straight for the end zone. As she flew, the wily Tamaranian swerved left and right to avoid her teammates. Cyborg was the first obstacle in her path, but Starfire cheerfully blocked his tackle, indeed, she dragged Cyborg along for the ride as he tried to slow her down by grabbing onto her arm. But the gleeful Tamaranian's flight path was not even slowed down.

"I got her! I got her!" Beast Boy transformed into an octopus, stretching out his entire body to block off all avenues, but Starfire, once again, still cheerfully just flew above the exasperated Beast Boy.

The last obstacle was Robin and he cracked his knuckles as he prepared to intercept Starfire. He had one hand in his belt, planning on using his bo staff to pole vault into the air, that way, he could reach high enough to stop Star.

Starfire however, instead of meeting Robin head on, just stopped feet in front of him. This surprised not only Robin, but Cyborg, who suddenly found himself flying forward after letting go of her shoulder.

"AAAAAAAAHHH!" The robotic titan screamed

"Wait Cyborg! Sto-" Robin shouted, just before the Robotic titan slammed right into him. Both football players were now piled onto the ground.

"Yes! I believe I have touched the down. Is that not correct?" Starfire asked innocenently. Then, remembering something she saw on TV, she quickly raised her arm, and threw the ball down onto the ground, like all football players do in celebration of a touchdown.

Instead however, her strength plowed the ball straight through the ground, and not just the ground, but through several levels of Titans Tower, such that smoke bursted from the hole as the footfall simply drilled through each level of the building.

Cyborg's reply was to drop his mouth.

"Um….I call Star's team next time!" Beast Boy shouted.

Cyborg, unnerved by the display of power, grinned slightly and went to Star.

"Starfire, Maybe its better if I introduce you to the wonderful game we call foozeball."

At that instant however, an ominous shadow casted itself over the court, and all five titans were surprised to see that the sun was gone.

Not because of any apocalyptic thing, but because a huge space ship had floated just above the tower roof. The ship was cylindrical in shape, but it must have spanned at least a city block, resembling a giant cigar, but with a flat platform at the top where various compartments and weapons stuck out.

The titans quickly assembled, and watched as the ship lowered itself onto the rooftop, a small door opening in the ship to reveal a blinding light, followed with a light smokescreen as the ship's insides depressurized as it opened up to the Earth's atmosphere.

There, appearing in the ship, was a familiar sight. The old alien Centauri officer who the Titans last saw when they first met Blackfire.

The Centauri had not changed at all, he still sported the same red and black battle armour, along with the huge alien claw that made up his right hand. And just like last time, his partner was with him.

The two centauri officers stepped onto the rooftop, and instantly pulling out their badges as a sign of their authority.

Robin stepped forward.

"I didn't expect to see you guys back here." Robin began.

The first Centauri replied. "Nor did we expect to come here, but we are here to do serious business for the Galactic Federation. You are called. Robin, am I not correct? I am Officer Cron of the Centauri empire. I've come here to apprehend the one called 'Koriand'r'."

The rest of the titans raised their eyebrows in confusion. Koriand'r?

Cron pointed rather bluntly at Starfire, who was too astonished to reply. "Her. The one you call Starfire."

"This must be some mistake." Robin asserted back.

"Yeah, Star would never do anything bad." Beast Boy defended his friend. "You sure you're not mistaking her for Blackfire again?"

"No, my orders are quite clear. Starfire of Tamaran, you are under arrest by order of the Galactic Federation, and the Grand Centauri Empire. She has done a very serious crime."

"If you're taking her, we're going too." Robin said firmly. "We'll see if we can clear up these fake charges."

"Yeah, we always stick together." Beast Boy said firmly.

"My orders were clear, to bring only the Tamaranian, and no one else." Cron said coldly. "None of you are coming along."

"Then she's not going anywhere." Robin said sternly, reaching for his bo staff.

"Two against Five," Raven, still agitated that her meditation was interrupted, pulled her hood up to cover her face, revealing only two glowing white eyes. "I think you should leave."

At that instant however, Cron snapped his fingers, and more compartments, four to be precise, opened up under the hull of the ship. And four figures quickly dropped out of the ship to land on the rooftop.

The titans were amazed as they saw each of the figures land on the rooftop.

One was at least ten feet tall, with a fully muscular, yet demonic body that seemed very familiar to the fire guys they fought with Trigon. This one of course, was different because of the huge wings and vicious inhuman claws he possessed, not to mention the fact that his entire body swirled violently like a fire storm.

The next one looked human, dressed in a black sleek cybernetic suit, while carrying two guns in his arms. By just looking at him, Raven could sense this man wasn't all he appeared to be.

The other figure was another tall alien, and the team were quick to recognize the first foe they had ever faced together. The tall, scaly Gordinians. Except this one donned full battle gear, completely covered in gold armour.

The last one was very recognizable to Starfire, an old enemy whom she thought she would never see again. It had at least four legs, white with magenta stripes, Humanoid head and torso, white with black and magenta markings, and the same pair of predatory eyes she was so horrified of. The Chrysalis hunter. This time however, she wasn't completely whole. Her left claw was mechanical, while several parts of her body were cybernetic, along with half her face and lower jaw. Evidently her last encounter with the carnivorous plant did not end well.

Cron, reinforced by his new 'team', quickly turned back to the Titans.

"I don't think you understand the situation. That was not a request. Starfire is coming with us. Whether you like it, or not."

(Fade to song)

**_When there's trouble you know who to call _**  
**_Teen Titans! _**  
**_From their tower, they can see it all _**  
**_Teen Titans! _**

**_When there's evil on the attack _**  
**_You can rest knowing they got your back _**  
**_'Cuz when the world needs heroes on patrol _**  
**_Teen Titans GO! _**

**_With their superpowers they unite _**  
**_Teen Titans! _**  
**_Never met a villain that they liked _**  
**_Teen Titans! _**

**_They've got the bad guys on the run _**  
**_They never stop 'till the job gets done _**  
**_'Cuz when the world is losin' all control _**  
**_Teen Titans GO! _**

**_1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. Go! _**  
**_Teen Titans! _**

**ACT 1 Part 1**

"Detain her." Cron pointed coldly to Starfire, and by that command, the alien team all went into a combat stance. The flame demon instantly converted his body into a blazing inferno, while the cyber suit guy took out both of his rifles.

"This will not be as easy as last time, Tamaranian scum, I promise you that." The Gordinian said menacingly.

The Gordinian in the golden armor, took out a trident-like weapon, that extended in his hands to become at least as tall as his massive figure.

"It has been awhile, I look forward to catching up with you my dear." The Cybernetic chrysalis hunter said savagely, almost hungrily, her alien tongue salivating all over her robotic mouth.

"Attack!" Cron growled, and at once, all the opponents jumped at the Titans.

Robin took out his bo staff. "Titans! G-"

He was stopped as a blue stream of laser hit him from the side, tossing him across the ground before landing just feet away from where he was.

The Cybernetic suit guy smirked, the barrel of his shotgun-shaped laser weapon still smoking.

"Sorry, did I time that badly?" The man grinned smugly, both his laser rifles still pointed at Robin. "They call me Splicer." He aimed his gun at Robin's head.

"Was nice meeting you."

"Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!" A solid block of concrete suddenly shot from the side, taking Splicer completely by surprise and knocking him back a good ten meters. At the same time, the villain fired his weapons, which caused the block to explode into a cloud of dust and rubble.

"BOO YAH!" Cyborg rushed forward, taking on the ten foot fire demon, who at this point, had grown an extra five feet from the flames that lit up all over his body. He fired.

The sonic blast went straight through the demon however, and the monster just cackled in delight.

"No human technology cannot affect me. I am Scourge, leader of the firnusium!" The monster boasted. He raised his arms with a ferocious roar, revealing that at the end he wore solid gold armoured gloves, their fingertips sharp enough to look like the claws or talons of a monster.

"Well then," Cyborg retracted his arm cannon, cracking his knuckles. "Guess we'll have to do this the old fashioned way. The titan yelled a challenge, and charged, while all four of Scourge's inhuman eyes gave an amused look.

Cyborg rushed forward with a lightning punch, but Scourge simply chuckled and grabbed Cyborg's fists with his hand. Cyborg grunted as he locked arms with the demon, using every bit of his strength, only to be met by Scourge's derisive chuckling.

Cyborg yelled furiously, sparks flew from his arms as the pressure from Scourge's death grip took its toll on his circuits. Thinking quickly, the mechanical titan opened up his shoulders, which released a flurry of missiles into his foe. Scourge only had about a second to react as half a dozen missiles exploded all over his upper body and face.

But as the smoke cleared, the same demonic four eyed face still grinned at him.

"Pain is my friend puny human." Scourge said in his monstrous, overpowering voice. "Allow me to introduce it to you."

Scourge's hands lit up with flames now, and Cyborg screamed as two fireballs sent him flying into a power generator on the rooftop, utterly blowing it to smithereens.

"I promise you, this won't hurt a bit." The Chrysalis hunter cackled insanely with an insatiable hunger as she circled Beast Boy slowly like a predator. "Until I rip the skin from your bones." She raised her claws menacingly.

"Lady, you've got some serious issues to deal with." Beast Boy retorted back, then transformed into a hawk to avoid a deadly lunge by the hunter, who's claws managed to break the solid rock beneath Beast Boy's feet in two. When he guessed that he was sufficiently far away, he transformed into a tiger and lept at the monstrosity, only to be knocked back by a vicious swing of the Hunter's claw.

"Give it up now, you're only prolonging your suffering." The hunter said furiousyly.

"You gotta catch me first." Beast Boy replied slyly, then transformed into a bird and tried to fly away, only to be hit by a blue laser that knocked the green titan from the sky.

"Not bad." Splicer smirked as he looked at the smoking gun he was carrying, admiring the fine marksmanship he just did. "Not bad at all. Now where were we?" He turned back to Raven.

Raven chanted, taking three boulders from the ground beneath the tower, each one the size of a man, and preparing to throw them at Splicer. But the sly mercenary just stood there, taking the time to reload his weapons casually, as if he were completely oblivious to the threat Raven posed to him.

This made Raven even more annoyed, and suddenly, all three boulders surged towards their target, at a speed that could take out even the most hardened and strong villain.

But Splicer simply stood there, and Raven widened her eyes in surprise as Splicer's body became semi transparent, so that each boulder went right through him, exploding into the earth behind the villain but otherwise, leaving him unscathed.

Finally, with his weapons loaded, Splicer went back to being solid again.

"Now that we're ready…." He said quickly, then surged forward at Raven.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven said again, this time, two huge slabs of rock flanking Splicer were surrounded in black, and in that instant, flipped up, crushing him between the two surfaces.

But Splicer kept walking, and moments later he appeared through the rock, firing his weapon at Raven.

"AAAH!" Raven screamed as the blast knocked her in the stomach, throwing her back a few feet.

Robin meanwhile, turned to see Raven, but before he could even help her, his opponent took that split second where Robin had his guard down and charged with his own weapon, a golden spear with a trident-like tip. His weapon was quickly parried by Robin's bo staff, and the two opponents were locked in arms.

"Not bad. For a human." The Gordinian said smugly, then whipped his tail from behind to trip Robin by his feet, tripping him to fall backwards. The Gordinian then used this moment to rush forward, with every intention of digging his spear in Robin's stomach.

The Boy wonder did fall back but used the momentum to perform a back flip, and just as quickly he used his bo staff as a pole vault, then lifted it back up to strike the Gordinian from under his chin, the massive alien staggered temporarily from this blow, and by the time he recovered, he saw Robin's boot heading straight for his face….

Then, with a quick inhuman reaction, the Gordinian grabbed Robin's foot and slammed the Boy wonder violently onto the ground with a painful grunt.

Starfire at this point, fired her star bolts at the two Centauri officers, but Cron and his partner simply swatted the miniature explosions aside, rushing forward and shooting their own lasers from their claws, which caused Starfire to swerve left and right to avoid the blasts.

"Please, I do not wish to fight. But I have not done any crime to you." Starfire pleaded.

"That is for the trial to decide." Cron said coldly, firing more shots at the Tamaranian.

Starfire dodged the shots, taking to the skies. She took this moment to survey the battle. Cyborg was thrown into the side of the wall by Scourge, while Robin and the gordinian were fighting on almost equal grounds, one using brute strength, the other, using skill.

Raven formed a barrier around herself, to shield her and Beast Boy from the double attacks by the Cyrsalis hunter, who pounded the black force field savagely in an attempt to get to the prey inside, and Splicer, who fired his plasma rifles at the weakening barrier.

Starfire was torn, seeing the battlefield around her going against her friends.

"Starfire!" Robin grunted as he was forced back by the Gordinian, who's strength outmatched his. He gave her a nod, a plan already formulating in the boy wonder's head.

Instinctively, she dove straight down at the Gordinian, pummeling him from above digging him right into a neat little hole in the rooftop. Robin jumped just before Starfire made this move, and threw a flurry of discs at the two Centauris who jumped after Star. One of them was instantly frozen as the freeze discs made contact, while the other was blown backwards in a series of explosions.

"Enough of this game." Cron said savagely, breaking through the explosions and lashing out one of his green tentacles from his claws. He caught Starfire's foot.

"Star! Catch!" Robin shouted, throwing up one of his discs and passing it to Star. But before she can even throw the disc however, Cron had whipped his arm, throwing Starfire into a wall, smashing a neat little hole through it.

Starfire struggled to free her foot from the tentacle, putting Robin's disc in her pocket and using both arms to try and pry the green tentacle off.

However, Cron's other Centauri partner, having broken out of his icy prison, wasted no time in throwing a stun grenade by Starfire. In a blinding flash, the entire rooftop was suddenly illuminated as a violent electrical surge paralyzed Starfire, sending her collapsing onto the ground.

It was done.

Cron raised his hand in a gesture, and instantly, his team stopped. Scourge, gripping Cyborg's head and dangling him like a rag doll, grudgingly threw his opponent into the wall, while Splicer phased through the walls of the rooftop, reappearing behind Cron.

The Chrysalis hunter, her hunger not yet satiated, snarled and stalked back to the ship, leaving a stunned Beast Boy and Raven to tend to their injuries.

Robin however, was the one least willing to disengage. He rushed the Gordinian, but with a lightning fast turn, the alien wiped his spear and hit Robin right in the chest. The boy wonder was stopped cold in his tracks.

"Let's go, we have no further reason to be here." Cron nodded at his team, and instantly, they all disappeared, teleported back onto the ship before the titans could even recover. With them, was an unconscious Starfire.

Within seconds, the alien ship took off into the skies, flying into the skies until the it became a small dot. Then, it disappeared.

Robin watched in horror from the ground as the six enemies disappeared, carrying off their friend with them. He tried to get up, but found that his ribs were bruised so heavily, he couldn't even move without a flinch of pain.

"Ugh….." Cyborg emerged from the smoking rubble in what was once the wall, he rubbed his head in pain. "What hit me?"

"We got our butts kicked." Beast Boy complained with a pained groan, Raven was already propping the green titan, surrounding her hands with black magic and pressing it against Beast Boy's ankle, healing it.

"They took Starfire." Robin said grimly. "We've got to go after them."

"Only one problem with that Robin." Cyborg began. "The T-ship's still in repairs from last time. I just started rebuilding it."

"Well we can't just leave her alone! There must be something we can do." Robin gripped his fist in frustration. Cyborg, not knowing what else they could do, bowed his head down onto the ground.

"I'll do what I can Robin, I'll work as fast as I can, but it will still take some time." Cyborg put a helping hand on Robin's shoulder. The boy wonder could only nod in reply.

An ominous quiet ushered over the battle scarred rooftop, as the four titans began wondering when they will ever see their friend again…..

As the spaceship blazed through Earth's atmosphere, Starfire found herself being led through the dark, dank confines of the ship's detention area. Behind her, Gordinian and Centauri guards prodded her forward with their weapons, while her hands were shackled in reinforced cuffs that not only tied her hands together, but also prevented her from even using her starbolts.

Scourge, Splicer, the Hunter and Gordinian all stood by the cell door, mocking Starfire as she was led into captivity.

Cron meanwhile, watched the proceedings from behind.

As Starfire prepared to enter her cell, she watched in horror as another familiar figure chained against the wall of his cell. The man looked as though he had taken a brutal beating, as bruises and wounds covered his entire body. But still, even in the darkness, Starfire could recognize the familiar face.

"Val Yor?" Starfire said, but the alien didn't even register her presence, not even bothering to lift his head.

She turned around fiercely, facing her captors.

"Why did you bring us here? I demand to know why we are here for!" The Tamaranian shouted.

**"Isn't that obvious?"** A new voice, not belonging to any of the alien team that captured her, echoed through the chamber. It was cold, calm, and metallic, almost…..robotic.

The new figure stepped forward from the shadows, revealing himself. He possessed robotic legs, long, muscular, clawed arms that almost dragged to the floor, under those, were short tentacles that hung below his arms. A five spot eye was seen on his forehead, while a sixth single eye was set in the center of this feature. Starfire met this image with stunned silence.

This new figure…..was a Locrix.

**"You're going on trial, Starfire…..for Murder."**


	35. Trial Act 1 pt 2

Well, next update! Enjoy! Thanks to everyone for keeping up with this and being so patient!

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**ACT 1 Part 2**

Starfire felt the guards' grip on her arm intensify, as if the Gordinians around her were quivering in anticipation of this meeting. She immediately shook them loose with her strength, though no amount of effort could detach the metallic shackles that bound her arms together.

The Locrix took a step closer, brandishing its claws until they were just inches from Starfire's face.

"Did you really think that you could get away with destroying an entire world Tamaranian? My home?" The Locrix said with a hint of poison in his robotic voice.

Starfire was silent at first, not knowing how to take in this situation. Before this, she did not know a Locrix could talk, or was alive at any rate.

"I……I didn't know-" She began inadequately.

"That what? That I have intelligence? That a 'Crixie" is more than a mindless robotic drone? Don't be so quick to judge me as you have judged my people." The Locrix said with a hostile tone. He raised his arm, then with a lighting quick speed, whipped it against Starfire's face.

The Tamaranian grunted in pain from the impact, which left a scar on her cheek, but she made no resistance, indeed, the look on her face wasn't even hostile, but one of guilt and regret.

"I am called Zasz."

Starfire remained silent.

"What is wrong Tamaranian?" Zasz said irritably. "Already given up? Where is that savage spark that you had when you fought on Sentien?"

"No, there is no point.….." Starfire started, but then trailed off as she found no more words to say to the alien.

".…….you have every right to destroy me." Starfire said condescendingly, bowing her head down.

Zasz took his claw-like hand, and ensnared Starfire's head in his grip. The Tamaranian shivered as she felt the cold steel fingers reach around her hair and neck.

"Yes, I do." Zasz said, pulling Starfire's face towards his own five eyed sensors. "

But unlike you, I believe in justice, a fair trial. Something you didn't give to my people." He said coldly.

Starfire said nothing, she didn't even try to face Zasz.

"Get her out of my sight." Zasz waved at the Gordinian guards, who obeyed instantly. Each one forcefully grabbed Starfire by her arm, and dragged her away to her cell.

"Lights out, Princess." The Gordinian growled, then before Star could even notice it, her face met the end of a Gordinian staff. Everything suddenly became black.

Meanwhile, from outside the speeding spaceship, Earth was quickly becoming an insignificant dot in the vast blanket of space. Until finally, it disappeared altogether.

Starfire was on her own.

There was nothing in the cell, no blanket, no cot, not even a toilet. The floor itself was thick of slime, most likely leftovers from the last occupant. Each breath made Starfire want to gag on the stench that was thicker than any from the Glorthogs from her home planet.

There were no windows on any side of the detention cell, with the only opening being the cold bars that led into the prison hallway, which Starfire guessed must have been in the hull of this vast space ship.

All around her, she saw guards pacing, whether they were Centauri or Gordinian, they shared the same hostile dark silence towards her. And Starfire could not help but feel that the bars were there to protect her from them.

The hours passed, and the throbbing pain in Starfire's head only got worse and worse. She leaned on the wall for some time, fighting the pain, darkness and despair that was slowly clouding over her. She passed the hours quickly, slipping in and out of conciousness.

What have I done…..I didn't know…

She groaned weakly, the blow to her head still ringing in her ears. At first, the smell and coldness was all she felt, but soon, shapes, colors started appearing in her blurred vision. She began focusing on her surroundings.

"So….finally awake? About time" A voice echoed from the darkness within the cell, and Starfire raised her head and saw the familiar figure chained to the wall. A well built muscular man in a silver and black uniform, with a gigantic star across his chest.

Val Yor.

"And I thought you're people were used to hostile conditions..this should seem like a walk in the park for you." Val Yor's voice was rank with a hostile sarcasm.

"Val Yor……why didn't you tell us-" Starfire began.

"I have nothing to say to you Troq." Val Yor turned his head away from the Tamaranian, his voice still full of that stubborn pride he held from their last meeting.

"You lied to us Val Yor. About the Locrix." Starfire said, not with anger, but with a tint of regret and outrage.

"I told you what I knew. You were the one who volunteered remember? You knew what I was going to do." Val Yor said icily.

Starfire opened her mouth, as if she wanted to reply, but the firmness of the alien's voice instantly killed any chance of conversation they would have in this awkward moment.

And so the two aliens stayed where they were, and hours passed by as the Gordinian star ship passed out of the Solar System, towards the Centauri moons.

As time passed, Starfire became more and more upset at the darkness within the cell. How she wished that there was at least a window so that she could see outside the ship.

Starfire had loved traveling through space. Aside from the skies, there was no other place where she felt more free. In space, there were no limits, no restrictions, just the unbridled joy of flight at its best. Just as Raven had seeked sanctuary in her own mind, so did Starfire find hers amongst the stars in the night sky.

The Gordinian Captain suddenly appeared next to the cell, and he grunted as he shoved a plate through the cell bars, most of its green slimy contents spilled onto the floor as it landed.

"Eat, Scum. We are almost there." The Gordinian growled lowly.

Starfire stared at the disgusting pile of goop on the floor, which, if it was possible, looked less appetizing than any Glorg she ever cooked up. She didn't take a bite, not in what seemed like days.

"I know the Gordinians well." Starfire began. "Why are you doing this?" The Gordinians were a war-like race, with ambitious designs, in all their history, they didn't seem like the law enforcing type.

"Well…." The Gordinian begun in his snake-like voice. "Aside from avenging my Commander Trogag, who was punished because of the failure you handed to him, let's just say the Citadel has an investment in this trial. Of course, it's best if you don't know yet, I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise." The Gordinian chuckled.

"Of course, the others have their reasons as well." The Gordinian smirked as more guards passed through the hallway, this time, to Starfire's surprise, they were Firnusium. Legless creatures with snake-like arms and a huge, yowling, birdlike head made entirely of flames. They were the monsters summoned by Trigon a few months back. Starfire had never expected to see them again.

"Scourge, you see, claims he has no memory of how he came to be here, except that his master sent him into space to conquer. When his master was gone, we employed his valuable services, in exchange for a chance to get back to Earth, once this trial is done." The Gordinian snickered.

"I'm sure you are already familiar with the Chrysalis hunter." The Gordinian said with relish. "You should have seen the awful mess we found her in….of course, she blames it all on you."

"All of the people here have something against you or that Vernathian, Val Yor." The Captain said with a smirk.

"Well, except for Splicer, he's just here for kicks."

A new figure entered the jail.

"Don't forget my genuine love of the justice system." Splicer, donning his black and blue cyber suit, smirked. His face was not even visible, blocked out by a black visor and helmet that was part of his costume.

"The fact that there is a bounty on your head doesn't hurt either, love." The mercenary gave a smug chuckle.

Suddenly, the entire room shook. It was a small, short shudder, but enough to tell Star that the ship had changed its speed. They were slowing down.

The intercom came to life now, and a Centauri officer began announcing orders for the crew. Outside, Centauri and Gordinian soldiers scrambled around the detention area, putting away equipment while working on the control panels in the walls.

"Ah…Looks like we have arrived." The Gordinian captain said smugly as he turned to look outside the prison doorway into the hall.

"Better get rested Tamaranian scum, the real fun, is about to begin." The Gordinian smirked, then walked out into the hallway with Splicer, the prison door slowly slamming shut as they disappeared.

Once again, Starfire was left in the darkness. Alone, tired, and hungry.  
The ship had begun entering the planet's atmosphere, at least, that was the best Star could guess as she felt the ship shake even more than before. She had asked one of the guards where they were, and the Centauri scoffed at her, then said they were landing on one of the Centauri moons, aside from that detail, the guard didn't see fit to continue a conversation with a Troq.

The Centauri moons were famed across the Galaxy as the major capital of the Centauri empire, a grand federation that was created to preserve order and stability within the galaxy. It was through these moons, where the Centauri found the wealth to create their empire, the fabled Centauri moon diamonds. It was also on these moons, where the Galactic Tribunal, the largest courthouse in the federation was established, where various planets can settle their disputes as an alternative to going to war. With the powerful Centauri Empire endorsing the court's judgment, its was made sure that disputes never escalated into full scale war.

Now at the platform on this tribunal, were thousands of aliens, a huge crowd that consisted of many races from planets in the far reaches of the galaxy. The crowd was in an uproar, hissing and roaring in outrage as the Gordinian ship landed.

The cargo bay opened, and soon, dozens of guards emerged from the ship, forming a path through the angry crowd, which was clearly directed at the alien visitors.

As the hatched opened, Starfire her hands shackled together, widened her eyes at the hostile crowds that had manifested before her. Even as the Gordinian and Centauri guards took their place beside her, the various aliens in the crowd suddenly became inflamed, shouting curses of 'Troq' and 'Murderer', while some even threw rotten food, and other unidentifiable objects, at her.

The words stung, but through all this, Starfire simply closed her eyes, and silently took all the abuse. She didn't fight back, didn't even react. Instead, she stared ahead at the imposing sight of the Tribunal Tower. It was a huge golden tower, which seemed to stretch as high as a mountain, thousands of metres into the air. The complex itself, was extremely large. In all directions, as far as the eye could see, Starfire saw golden walls and towers, which twisted into spires as they reached higher into the sky. While thousands of spaceships buzzed around the skies busily, like an Earth market at rush hour. Also, unlike the comforting purplish skies of Tamaran, or the beautiful crystal blue skies of Earth, the skies of the Centauri moons were dark, oppressive, and gloomy. As if someone had drawn a permanent veil over this world.

Val Yor gritted his teeth as he was led to the Tribunal, right behind Starfire. In front of both of them was Zasz, accompanied by his 'team', who slowly made their way through the giant double doors of the tribunal.

Before they could enter however, more guards stepped into their path, and Starfire was surprised to find that these guards were very familiar.

Dressed in the royal purple of royal body guards, and wearing the same metallic shoulder armor she had worn once before, the Tamaranian guards, at least a dozen of them, blocked the pathway with their spears.

Zasz, seeing this demonstration, raised his hand, and the entire procession grinded to a halt.

"It looks like some blokes are trying to pick a fight." Splicer said smugly, taking out his laser rifle.

"Excellent..….Fresh Meat." The Cyrsalis Hunter said in a hungry voice.

Zasz raised his hand again, and his 'team' took the hint. The Locrix would repeat himself again.

"What is the meaning of this?" The Locrix demanded.

"In accordance with the rules of the Galactic Federation, the accused, if a member of royal blood, is entitled to be held in the custody of her guardians during the trial." A man said in a rough, yet commanding voice.

"I am sure you are familiar with that rule." A new person stepped out of the double doors, and Starfire widened her eyes as she saw him. He was a full grown adult, who had long auburn hair and a beard that covered most of his face. The man was dressed in the same manner as all Tamaranians, save for the scarred right eye he sported and the crown he wore on his head.

He was Galfore, Emperor of Tamaran.

"Galfore!" Starfire cried out emotionally, but before she could say anything else, Galfore gave a nod to Starfire, intending to finish his conversation with Zasz.

"I am fully aware of that. But my sources indicate that Koriand'r gave up her rights to the Tamaranian throne." Zasz said suspiciously.

Galfore's eyes instantly lit up in rage at this, "I may be Emperor of Tamaran, but I am still the princess' guardian, and make no mistake." He stepped forward, shaking the very ground with his seemingly pent-up rage. "She is royal blood, pure and simple. Unless you wish to challenge that?"

Zasz didn't move a step. For a moment, it looked as though both parties were going to go all out at each other.

Cron, the Centauri officer, took this time to step up. "The Emperor has a point, the rules of the Centauri Tribunal are not to be disobeyed."

The Locrix, seeing the Centauri step up to the plate, gave a smug laugh. "Very well, seeing as it is regulation. But do not think that you can escape justice Tamaranian. It will come soon enough." He turned to Starfire.

Almost immediately, the Gordinian guards dropped Starfire, who was too weak to even stand. Before she fell though, she was caught by the giant, yet gentle hands of Galfore, who rushed forward to help her.

"He however," Zasz pointed to Val Yor, who was bounded by his guards. "will remain in my custody."

"No! He will come with us!" Starfire, still weak from her time in the cell, suddenly found strength to resist."

Both parties suddenly went into battle stance again, but before the situation even got out of hand, Zasz made the first move.

He turned around, completely ignoring Starfire.

"Let's go."

With that, they disappeared through the massive hallway of the tribunal court.

Starfire wanted to run after them, but she found herself too weak to resist Galfore's grip.

"Calm yourself down Starfire…" The massive giant said softly, in a parental tone. "I will do all I can to help your friend. I swear to you princess."

"Galfore…..I have never been so happy to see you." Starfire said quietly. It was as though the darkness and despair which had engulfed her for so long in that prison ship had finally disappeared, and the Tamaranian was straining to keep the tears from her face.

"A K'norfka never abandons the one they take care of, Starfire. When I heard that they were hunting for you, I decided to travel here to defend you. But before that, you must rest then tell me everything. The hardest part is yet to come."

Starfire nodded weakly, resting her head against Galfore's arm. More guards gathered around, helping Starfire up. The Tamaranian looked at the dark sky, amazed at how the many stars of space were snuffed out by the black clouds, turning the sky into a vast black emptiness that seemed to tell of the trials that lay ahead.


	36. Trial Act 2 pt 1

**Act 2 (part 1)**

The gathering of aliens outside the tribunal settled down now as Zasz turned away. His team, grumbling that a chance to fight was passed up, grudgingly turned to follow their leader.

"You sure were pretty confident about letting our prey go." Scourge said in his monstrous voice that was threatening enough to overwhelm even the strongest of hearts.

The Locrix however, kept walking on. "Whether she is in custody or not, it does not matter, the outcome of the trial will still be the same. She knows that too."

Scourge grunted, then continued dragging the unconscious Val Yor along. The alien team entered the tribunal doors, leaving Starfire alone with Galfore.

"Ignore the varblurnelk, Starfire." Galfore said as he led Starfire away from the scene. "I will see what I can do for your friend, but now, let us rest."

Starfire nodded quietly, then followed Galfore as he led her to another part of the building.

Starfire was led deeper into the tribunal building, passing gigantic hallways filled with thousands of hostile and alien faces, some of them hissing as she passed. For that, she was glad that Galfore had also brought an escort of Tamaranian guards, who were just as hostile towards the outsiders when it came to protecting their princess.

Eventually, pass the halls, and up a long winding step of stairs, Starfire reached her room. It was nothing like the grand halls of Tamaran, nor her royal suites, but it was nonetheless, infinitely better than the squalid cell that Zasz had given her during the journey to Centauri.

Galfore was quick to make sure Starfire was well attended, ordering for a doctor to check up on any injuries she may have sustained in the last fight, as well as ordering servants to draw up a bath and bring in Starfire's old uniform, which resembled her Blackfire's. Complete with that, was her old armor and crown, which Galfore insisted she wore so as to forward his case that she was still a member of the Tamaranian royalty.

"I am sorry princess, that we do not have any other clothes for you, but your earth garments were hard to procure, and this will serve our purposes better." Galfore said with a soft smile as he handed her the uniform.

"It does not matter Galfore, Thank you." Starfire smiled, in what seemed like the first time in days."

"Good, well now my little bumgorf, it is time for you to eat and gain your strength back, then we can talk."

Warm food came afterwards, generously from the Tamaranian chefs that Galfore had brought over. On her table were piles of glorg and jelly-type foods that Starfire loved, and soon she found herself eating as much as Cyborg.

Yet, despite all the comforts, she was still a prisoner. Centauri guards stood outside the door at the head of the stairs leading into the main tribunal hall, trading glares with the Tamaranian royal guards that had escorted Starfire up the room.

As Starfire ate, she began to tell Galfore everything.

"So that is what they are accusing you of? Surely it is a lie, I know it cannot be true! I will act as your defense." Galfore said firmly.

"No, there is nothing to defend." Starfire bowed her head down, closing her eyes and turning away from Galfore in shame. "I am truly guilty."

"I have raised you since you were a little bumgorf Starfire, you are as gentle as they come. Even if it is true I do not believe you will do this intentionally." Galfore said with a parental voice.

"If it is anything to do with that Vernathian-" Galfore's face lit up in anger.

"No, I do not believe Val Yor knew as well." Starfire replied back.

"Then we will find a way to save your friend as well." Galfore said confidently.

Starfire nodded quietly, trying to hold back all the emotion she was feeling at having Galfore take so much trouble for her, to trust her so, even when she was clearly wrong.

"I am sorry Galfore." Starfire said sadly.

"Why is that my Bumgorf?" Galfore asked.

"You have said you expected great things from me, and I have let you down. I set out to help others, bit what I didn't know was that I would come to bring such great harm as well, perhaps I should just stop-"

Starfire bowed her head down again, but this time, Galfore raised her chin with his finger.

"We all make mistakes Starfire, that isn't reason enough for you to stop following your heart. It is not your fault, so do not keep blaming yourself." Galfore replied gently. "Besides, we must focus on more important matters, you have a friend in this as well."

Starfire sniffed, wiping away a tear from her eye, she didn't know what to say to Galfore.

"I know…."

Galfore nodded. "I will do my best, it has been a long time since I have attended a tribunal proceeding, so let me see if this old K'norfka still has a few tricks." He gave Starfire a hopeful smile.

"But before this," Starfire replied back. "I wish to visit someone."

"As you wish Princess Starfire, as you wish." Galfore nodded. "But please remember, we do not have a lot of time."

It took Starfire at least half an hour to find the detention cells, primarily because the Centauri guards escorting her were not very cooperative in helping Star find the place.

The cell blocks were a complete contrast to the royal quarters she enjoyed just moments before, indeed, it made Zasz's cell look like a five star hotel.

Starfire tried to maintain her composure, ignoring the jeers of various alien prisoners who seemed to try and lunge through their bars to attack her. Snarls, growls and shouts filled the dark hallway, but the Tamaranian put up a brave front, even though inside she was feeling uneasy. The Centauri guards, far from offering protection, were taking quiet pleasure from watching the Tamaranian squirm a little.

At last, she reached the prison cell, and carrying a plate of food, she walked into the dark room, where a solitary figure was chained against the wall. The man groaned as the light from the doorway entered the room, blinding his eyes momentarily, as if it was the first time in days he had seen light.

Val Yor grunted when he saw Starfire in the doorway.

"So I see this place has a soft spot for Troq Tamaranians. Glad to see you're enjoying the accommodations." Val Yor said rudely.

"Val Yor, I have come to bring you food." Starfire said gently, then she placed the plate she had been carrying at Val Yor's feet.

The alien was silent at first, but then scoffed. "What am I supposed to do? Eat it with my seven foot tongue? Mocking me huh?"

Starfire shook her head quietly. "No, I am just trying to be, as the earth people call it, 'nice'"

"Well you sure are doing a fine job at it." Val Yor's voice dripped with a hostile sarcasm.

Starfire ignored it however. "I will untie you if you wish, so that you may eat. But first, I want to ask you, why did you do it?" She asked sincerely.

Val Yor seemed temporarily disarmed by the random asking of this question, but he put on his soldier face again and replied coldly. "The Locrix were threatening to invade others, I told you that."

"Then tell me, did you truly know the Locrix could be like this?" Starfire asked.

"No, I didn't know, they were always mindless machines before, not living things." Val Yor shook his head.

"Then how will you defend yourself" Starfire replied back.

Val Yor turned his head away from Starfire, replying with a hostile grunt. "I don't have to say anything more to you, Troq."

"Please, do not call me that Val Yor. I do not know what you are going through, but I'm only trying to help-"

"Don't talk to me like you're all high and mighty, or my friend, Tamaranian." Val Yor replied back angrily, as if he had just managed to hold back from calling her 'troq' again. "I remember last time, I offered you my apology, and you spat it back in my face. That wasn't good enough for you? Did you expect me to go on my knees and beg?"

Val Yor was almost breathing heavily, as if he had pent that up for some time now. After spewing that, the alien was quieting down.

Starfire was quiet for a moment, as if suddenly realizing shamefully that maybe Val Yor was not the only one who was acting like that. Val Yor judged her because she was a Tamaranian, and Starfire had thought that a man like Val Yor would never change his ways.

Starfire nodded, clasping her hands and closing her eyes. "Yes, For that I am truly sorry, but if we are to survive this together, please…I want us to trust each other."

Val Yor said nothing, he just stared straight ahead.

Starfire sighed quietly, taking the hint, she turned and prepared to leave.

Just then however, Val Yor began speaking.

I'll tell you one thing now Tamaranian, you watch yourself, I hear our judges weren't picked because of their sunny personalities." Val Yor said sternly.

Starfire smiled a little bit, nodding quietly. "I will ask you to watch yourself as well Val Yor, but do not worry, I shall see if I can do anything to help now."

"Why ARE you helping me?" Val Yor asked.

"Because I do not wish to see others hurt just because of a mistake I made. "Starfire said in a friendly voice.

Val Yor nodded quietly, as if he were lost in his thoughts.

With that, she closed the door and proceeded back to her room to prepare.

The Trial was starting.

The Tribunal assembly area was designed like a Greek Amphitheatre. From a birds eye view, it was a semi circular shape, with the round end consisting of a huge row of seats, resembling an earth stadium. From the bleachers, were thousands of alien races, of all different shapes and sizes, each of them shouting and jeering as they waited in anticipation of the prisoner.

On the other side of the huge stadium sized courtroom, was the judge's panel and the jury's panel, which was similar to the earth design, save for the fact that this one was at least three times bigger. Between the bleacher seats and the judging panel, were two steel desks, one for the accused, and one for the present.

At this point, two processions entered the tribunal room, one of them was Zasz, followed by two Centauri officers who presided in the prosecution.

The real jeers and boos however, came when Val Yor and Starfire were brought out, next to each other. Starfire, now wearing her traditional Tamaranian armour with the thin crown that framed her face, had both her hands bound together by a metallic handcuff, just like Val Yor.

They were however, escorted by the friendlier Tamaranian guards, one of the concessions Galfore had managed to squeeze out of the tribunal. But that was it, now, it was up to the judges.

"ORDER!" The judge said in a female voice as she took her place on the Judge panel. Slamming her hammer down onto the table.

The Judge was dressed up in a red robe. But what made her even more imposing, was the fact that she wore a skull-faced mask, with cold robotic eyes and an alien symbol stamped on her forehead.

As the assembly quieted down, the jury took this time to sit in their seats, these ones were just as imposing.

"Keep strong Koriand'r." Galfore whispered into Starfire's ear and gripped her arm tightly. "Just remember that."

Starfire nodded quietly.

The jury, all twelve of them, wore the same red robes and skull masks, except that each of them carried a specific symbol with them. Each juror had a different weapon, such as a sharpened executioner's blade, a slipknot from a noose, poisoned vials for lethal injections, and electroshock batons. Needless to say, this wasn't the kind of jury that would hand out parking tickets.

"We are Judge and Jury," The judge and jury said in a monotonous voice together, which sent chills down Starfire's spine.

"And we are gathered here today to seek justice, to punish those responsible for a crime so vast and despicable that it has never before been recorded in the archives of the tribunal." The Judge said in an authoritarian voice.

"The accused, are Captain Val Yor of Vernathia, and Starfire of Tamaran. We will begin with the opening proceedings."

Judge gave the prosecution side of the court a firm nod and another figure, this time, a centauri officer, stood up.

"The prosecution will call out our first witness, Zasz, the Locrix of Sentien."

Various murmurs echoed through the chamber as Zasz stepped forward. As if on cue, the center of the courtroom floor began to rumble, as a trap door hissed open, revealing a machine that slowly lifted its way up to the courtroom floor.

Zasz made his way to the machine, where several Centauri officers were already taking wires from the alien device and connecting them into the plugs built into Zasz's robotic body. When they were done, the Locrix's back was completely hooked into the Machine.

"Zasz, are you ready to begin the memory reclaimation?" The Centauri officer asked.

"Yes." Zasz droned monotonously.

"Good, then tell us a little about yourself, and how you encountered the accused." The Centauri officer, an arrogant and crude officer, asked.

Zasz nodded, and instantly, the entire wall of the courtroom was quickly converted into a transparent material, where already, images of Sentien's final moments were shown.

The audience became quiet as the screen was filled with images of the Teen Titans fighting the Locrix in their invasion of Sentien. The screen started out with Beast Boy transforming into a dinosaur and crushing several locrix beneath him, then it panned out to Starfire and Val Yor.

"Before I was created, the accused were already attacking my planet." Zasz said, directing the narrative of the images on the screen.

"It did not take long for the mother core to process that it was losing its battle, and so, in an attempt to retrieve the situation, it sought to create a new generation of Locrix, ones that were not dependent on the mother core, those with a free will and intelligence that could help drive off the invaders."

The screen then showed images of a metallic body being cast by the Locrix machine, who were creating Zasz. As the final process of the machine building process was completed, Zasz's five red eyes were seen through the smoke.

"I was first, and last of them."

The screen quickly cut off to another scene, where Zasz was already at the head of an army of Locrix rushing to the central power core.

"I was supposed to lead the first defense team to drive the invaders out, but by then it was too late. The core was destroyed, and my people were gone."

Starfire, at hearing this, bowed her head low.

The next scene showed the central power core shaking, with images of Starfire flying out of the facility, holding Val Yor by her shoulder. Explosions rocked the screen moments later, and soon, all the Locrix with Zasz deactivated, leaving him along amongst a pile of wreckage.

The images ended there.

"I admit that we Locrix were a warlike race, but my people subjugated planets, we never destroyed them." Zasz finished his testimony, then unplugged himself from the machine and walked back to his seat.

"That is all the prosecution has for now." The Centauri officer finished off, just as the jeers of the crowd got louder.

"ORDER!" Everyone quickly quieted down. "Does the accused have anything they wish to say?" Judge asked Starfire and Val Yor.

"It was for the safety of the Galaxy, that's all I'll say." Val Yor replied in defiance, where he was replied by even more hostile shouts from the audience.

Starfire said nothing.

"Very well then, we shall recess so that my jury can have time to process the story." Judge hit her hammer onto the table again, and soon, the entire room broke into clamorous discussion.

Zasz turned around now, walking quietly along the aisle that led to the back rooms of the tribunal. Before doing so, he passed Starfire, Galfore and Val Yor. Galfore gripped his fists, trying hard not to tear the Locrix to pieces right there and now.

Starfire was closest to Zasz as he walked, and as Zasz passed by, he whispered softly, so that only Starfire heard what he was saying.

"Do not worry Tamaranian, it will all be over soon enough." The Locrix said icily, then left.


	37. Trial Act 2 pt 2

**Act 2, part 2**

After half an hour, the trial continued. More time passed as Starfire watched Zasz bring up more and more character witnesses, these ones aimed at Val Yor, who testified that Val Yor overstepped his authority as a captain of the Vernathian military by taking the law into his own hands.

The prosecutor, a Centauri officer with a smooth and sincere voice, as if he were implying that he regretted prosecuting a fellow officer, offered a damning account of Val Yor's time serving in the Galactic forces, his lone wolf attitude, history of disobeying commands, and blatant disregard for the rules and safety of others. He even offered an account as to why Val Yor was so obsessed with the Locrix, but quickly stopped the story when Val Yor became enraged at that story being retold. The Centauri officer passed that in respect, there was plenty of other evidence to condemn Val Yor already.

"Captain Val Yor was ordered to not pursue the Locrix by the Vernathian high command. Yet, he chose to disobey those orders, taking matters into his own hands. Is that really the actions of an honorable officer?" The prosecutor asked, pacing back and forth between the judge panel and Val Yor, while the Vernathian remained stoically silent during the proceedings.

There was not much to do in defense of Val Yor, but Galfore could at least do his best to protect Starfire, who just sat quietly in her chair. When it came his turn to undergo questioning, Galfore stepped forward without hesitation.

------- 

Galfore turned to the judge, continuing the ten minutes of questioning he had already undertaken.

"Princess Starfire is a gentle and kind person, of good character. To suggest that she would do such a thing is…preposterous!"

"But yet, you saw clearly that it was her who took part in the destruction of Sentien. Actions speak for themselves. Is this what Tamaran does? Condone the horrific actions of their royal blood?" The Centauri prosecuter replied.

"I meant no such thing!" Galfore protested.

"Oh really then." The Centauri continued. "Then how about the power each member of your royal line holds, don't you think that you should be accountable for all that power?" 

"We Taramanians trust each other to uphold our ideals, we never seek to abuse our powers." Galfore replied back.

"And yet, the defendant has made no attempt to defend herself, she even admitted that she did destroy the Locrix race. Wouldn't that be an abuse of power? "

"That is not the same thing, she did not intend to-"

"The Prosecution is finished with questioning." The Centauri officer said coldly, then went back to his stand.

Galfore's face was fixed with rage as he went back to take a seat beside Starfire.

"That fellow makes me want to split his head with my axe." Galfore said furiously.

"On Earth, Robin tells me there are people like him, they are called. Loy-ERS." Starfire said.

"ENOUGH." The Judge banged on the hammer. "We have heard enough, the jury will convene to discuss the results."

Everyone rose out of respect, and Galfore placed a hand on Starfire's shoulder.

"I am sorry Starfire." The giant said solemnly.

"You have done everything you could Galfore. There is no need to apologize." Starfire smiled with resignation.

Suddenly, the robotic eyes of the jury lit up in a bright red light, as if they had finished with their decision.

"Well, that didn't take long." Val Yor scoffed.

"We have heard enough. From the evidence presented, we find the defendants, Starfire of Tamaran, and Val Yor of Vernathia, guilty of genocide." The Jury spoke in a single robotic monotonous voice.

Judge then turned her mask to face Starfire and Val Yor, banging on the mantle one last time to end what was possibly also the shortest trial in the Tribunal's history. 

"Starfire and Val Yor, you have been found guilty, the sentence, will be execution. It shall be carried out in ten petacycles. Court adjourned!" The judge hit the hammer again, and soon, the hundreds of aliens in the crowd began breaking into conversation, with murmurs filling the air.

It was done. 

While this was happening, Zasz sat quietly, taking the time to fully observe the verdict and digest the information.

"Splicer." Zasz quietly accessed his internal communicator.

"It is time."

There were no more pleasantries now. Both Starfire and Val Yor were thrown in the same cell, this one was the worst yet, with the skeletons of former occupants lying in the dark corners of the dungeon.

The hospitable Tamaranian guards were now replaced by the hard line Centauri officers, who pushed the defiant Tamaranian guards away, despite their protests. Val Yor scoffed quietly, sitting despondently in the corner while Starfire took this moment to enjoy the one luxury she had been granted in this inhospitable place. This cell had a full view of the night sky. Unlike the black clouds that covered the planet, the tribunal holding cells were placed in a tower so high, that they were able to go above the clouds and stare at the night skies.

Despite her execution sentence, Starfire could not help but feel some comfort in those stars, that her friends were living on safely among them somewhere. Free.

She had thought about seeing her friends one last time, but what could she say to them? That she had become a murderer? They will undoubtedly try and rescue her, possibly dooming themselves and the Earth.

No…she thought. _I am not worth the effort, I deserve to be here._

The Centauri guards at the door made more grunting noises, as if acknowledging the presence of some unwelcome guest.

Starfire moved slowly through the darkness, feeling her way around the dungeon walls until she finally saw the light shine through the bars.

It was Galfore. The giant even at this point had obviously not given up hope, and his gigantic hands pressed the bars almost as if he wanted to crush the cage and break her out right then and there.

"Do not worry Starfire, i'll do everything I can to get you out of here, that trial was a mockery! It barely lasted any time! That locrix, he must have had a hand in it! I will plead for a delay period." Galfore said in determination.

"No….please Galfore. You have done more than enough. Now, I must face the consequences of my actions." 

"Princess Starfire….." Galfore replied in a pained voice, only to be interrupted as the doors to the cell were opened again. Both Tamaranians gasped in surprise as they saw the new figure enter the cell block.

It was Zasz.

Galfore instantly roared, jumping to his feet and rushing the Locrix.

The Centauri guards were faster however, and a good half dozen of them jumped at the giant Tamaranian, restraining his powerful arms while others shot goo-like whips to tie his feet. They were barely strong enough to halt the massive emperor, and Galfore's fist stopped only inches from Zasz's face.

"I can see that my company is not good for some people, remove him from the cell." Zasz said in his robotic voice. "I wish to speak to the prisoners alone." 

The Centauri guards nodded, then quickly took the struggling Galfore out the door.

When the Tamaranian emperor was outside, trying to fight his way past the guards, the door slammed shut, leaving Starfire alone to talk with her accuser.

"So….nothing left to say Tamaranian?" Zasz said smoothly.

Starfire said nothing, she just bowed her head even lower as she stood behind the bars of the cell.

"No, there is nothing I wish to say." She finally replied.

"Good, because I have a few things I want to say to you." Zasz began, walking closer to the cell bars. 

"You may think that I want to have you executed Starfire, but that is mistaken. I have no interest in any harm coming to you." The Locrix spoke sincerely.

Starfire widened her eyes at this statement. "Then…..this trial, why was I put on?"

"Because I believed even you deserved a fair trial Tamaranian. Despite what your friend may think, I did not do anything to influence the tribunal's ruling, nor did I 'fix' it in any way. I wanted to see justice at work and sure enough, you were guilty." Zasz said calmly.

"You say you wish to not harm me? And yet I am to be executed?" Starfire was finding this situation growing increasingly absurd. Just moments ago, she had thought that this would be the last hours of her life, and that she would try and spend them with as much dignity as she could, but this? This was a farce. 

Zasz chuckled.

"No, you won't be, I will make sure of it. Before your sentence is carried out, I shall have you released. No harm will come to you."

Starfire could not believe her ears. Was this Zasz simply trying to taunt her with a flash of hope before her execution? To put hopes inside of her that he could easily crush within the next sentence? Starfire leaned forward now, clasping the bars with her hands, she didn't want to, but her eyes were beginning to show a sign of hope.

But the Locrix was being extremely honest, he sounded sincere. "No harm will come to you." He repeated again.

"I despise the death penalty Starfire. It may be hard for you to believe, a mindless drone having opinions, but I believe that it is barbaric, too uncivilized."

"_Don't_. Misunderstand me though." Zasz's voice suddenly went completely dark, opposite in the hopeful tone had conveyed just a second ago.

"I think the death penalty is uncivilized because it is indiscriminate. No matter what horrific crime the offender does, each one will always get the same punishment. A swift end. I simply don't believe in that." Zasz continued.

"What are you saying?" Starfire asked apprehensively.

"Like I said before Starfire, I believe in justice." Zasz droned on mechanically. "And with justice, comes retribution. A special crime, deserves a special kind of punishment." 

He leaned in closer towards the bars, so his face was just inches from Starfire's. He whispered the next words, barely audible, but all too clear to Starfire.

"I had to watch my planet die with my own eyes, and now, you will too." Zasz finished off.

Starfire gasped in horror, just as Zasz pulled out a holocube from his robotic arm.

A holographic image instantly appeared above the device, it showed the schematics of a weapon. It was a simplistic design, a large laser cannon similar to the one that Prof. Chang had used on them months ago, only this one was massive, perhaps at least ten times as large.

"It's a planet destroyer. The Centauri empire's greatest weapon, located right here. How else can the tribunal get so many races to cooperate in its proceedings? Ironic though, isn't it? That a galactic federation bent on preserving the peace in the galaxy, owns a weapon powerful enough to destroy a planet." Zasz chuckled. "Say…Earth?" 

"You will do no such thing!" Starfire lunged at Zasz, but the bars were too strong, she couldn't go through.

"Please! This matter involves only you and me, there are many innocent people on Earth!" Starfire pleaded.

Zasz turned the holocube off, putting it coldly back inside his robotic compartment in his arm. "If there is anything that I have learned, it is that justice is blind. It is cold, and objective."

The Locrix continued on. "That is how it is fair, that is how it should work. It does not take into consideration anyone's feelings or personal connections to others. In order to achieve pure justice, you must be willing to sacrifice anything in order to achieve it. ANYTHING." He said this last one with a fanatical resolute tone.

"And right now, I will restore the balance between us. The death of a whole people demands something more than just a simple imprisonment or execution." Zasz finally finished.

He turned, heading towards the door while a helpless Starfire looked on.

Before leaving, he turned around to see Starfire one last time.

"Do not worry, you will be released eventually, when my team is done with this tribunal." The Locrix added on, and as if on cue, the very ground shook as the sound of distant explosions rocked the building.

"Which should be now." The villain said smoothly.

He turned to Starfire again.

"Farewell, Tamaranian."

Then he closed the door.

"What's going on!" Cron, captain of the Centauri guards, yelled to his subordinates as more blasts tore through the building. The Alien congregation was in full panic as thousands of spectators got up from their seats in the courtroom, trying to push their way out.

Cron turned to his officers. "Check the source of the blasts, I want a full team dispatched to investigate."

The Centauri officer saluted. "At once sir!"

At that instant however, both officers were cut off as a huge blast tore through the gigantic double doors that led into the courtroom. Each door was torn off its hinges, and thrown a good few feet as they collapsed into dust and rubble.

More screaming came from the audience as blue laser blasts emerged from the dust, hitting several Centauri guards as well as causing more explosions to ring through the courtroom.

Through the smoke, was the silhouette of a very familiar figure, who was flanked by a small army of mercenary gunmen.

"There's nothing to worry about folks!" Splicer said casually as he wore his full blue cybernetic battle armor. In each hand, he carried a laser rifle so large that he had to prop each one on his shoulders.

"Remain calm and stay in your seats people!" Splicer said as put down on large gun, using his free hand to load a few small shells into his other gun. When he was done, he instantly lifted the gun, and cocked it with loud clicking sound. He then turned to the audience with a dark smirk.

"You make much better targets this way." He then lifted the two guns and fired. The aliens panicked as an entire section of the bleachers exploded from two shells, leaving two giant craters where three rows of seats used to be.

"FIRE!" Cron shouted as a dozen more centauri's with guns arrived, they all let loose a furious barrage of lasers at Splicer.

Only for some reason, the villain wasn't going down. He went semi transparent, and the lasers simply went through his body, hitting the wall behind him.

"I was wondering how long it would take for you blokes to get here." Splicer smirked, lifting the two giant rail guns he carried and aiming them at the Centauris.

Then the explosions…and screams began.

Security in the planet destroy chamber was tight, at least fifty Centauri guards barricaded the doors with anything they could find, while the others armed themselves with a whole slew of laser rifles and cannons. 

"Don't let anyone in!" The Centauri episode shout as all fifty guards aimed their rifles at the door, which was soon being pounded on by some outside force.

All the guards concentrated their cannons on the doorway as well.

Suddenly however, an inhuman screech echoed through the chamber, coming from all directions.

The Centauri guards felt shivers down their spines as they heard it, they quickly focused on the rest of the room, the rooftops, the windows….

Nothing.

"Forget that," The commander replied, "Focus on the do-"

The screech came back, louder than ever, and the commander soon found himself swept away by a dark inhuman shape. The rest of the soldiers watched helplessly as their commander disappeared into the rooftop, screams echoing through the room.

Seconds later, the commander's body fell onto the ground.

"Finally, a chance to feast." The Crysalis hunter laughed, then lunged at the soldiers.

"FIRE!"

At that moment, the doors to the chamber exploded in a red inferno as a giant fireball tore its way into the cannon room.

Several soldiers were thrown back by the intense heat as the ball quickly formed into a humanoid shape, a demonic figure with wings that spread out like some savage bat. 

"Give it up freak, you're outnumbered." The Centauri guards all trained their rifles at Scourge, there must have been at least thirty of them left.

Scourge did not reply, he merely crossed his arms and watched the look on the Centauri's faces as the floor began melting into molten lava, and from the ashes rose at least fifty more firnusium.

"Now, we can begin." Scourge roared with laughter.

Starfire slammed her entire body against the bars, but they did not budge an inch, even as she used all of her immense Tamaranian strength.

"We must find a way out of here Val Yor!" Starfire pleaded with her fellow captive.

"You think I haven't tried? Besides, didn't you say you wanted to accept the consequences?" Val Yor said coldly.

"Yes, but they are mine alone to accept, not my friends, we must save them!" Starfire replied, hitting her shackles against the wall in an attempt to break them.

"How can you be so uncaring? Were you not a captain? A hero?" Starfire, slightly outraged by Val Yor's indifference, shot back.

"That was in the past." Val Yor said broodingly. "Besides, I've already done enough, the Crixies are gone, there's nothing else for me to do."

Starfire was stung by the coldness of that statement, as if Val Yor had felt no guilt over the crime they were convicted for.

Starfire suddenly stopped her attempts to free herself, and instead, approached Val Yor, until she was a few feet away from him.

"Why do you hate the Locrix so much?" Starfire asked, to Val Yor's surprise, in an sincere and amicable voice. 

Val Yor grunted defensively, as if avoiding the question, but Starfire's honest face slowly cracked away at his composure.

"I wasn't always a captain by myself you know. I had a crew, a bunch of good friends who traveled the galaxy with me. Doing missions, bringing the criminals in, that kind of stuff." Val Yor began quietly.

"Then, on a routine scouting mission, I was supposed to make contact with a newly discovered race, on behalf of the galactic federation. This race, was the Locrix."

Starfire suddenly began to realize where this story was going.

"They ambushed us, I was injured in the fight and I told my friends to bail. They would not listen, so….they knocked me out. Next thing I knew, I woke up inside an escape pod. I never saw them again."

He turned to Starfire now, and for the first time ever, she saw something in his face that she never thought she would see on Val Yor.

Vulnerability.

"So….you attacked the Locrix, for revenge."

Val Yor said nothing, his soldier-like face was back on. He grunted again.

"How do you feel now?" Starfire asked with concern.

"I don't know Starfire. I just don't know." Val Yor replied.

"Well, you have your revenge now….and because of that, my world is going to pay for it." Starfire said, even though she didn't mean it to be harsh, the meaning was still the same. Val Yor had lied to them from the very beginning.

"I lost my crew Starfire, my friends. Would you have done any different?" Val Yor replied seriously.

Starfire shook her head, this time, standing up. Her eyes lit up with a green determination as she violently blasted the shackles on her hands. With a determined cry, the Tamaranian forced her hands apart, shattering the pieces of the shackles across the entire cell with a ferocity that surprised Val Yor.

"I do not wish to find out." The Tamaranian said with determination.

She quickly turned back to Val Yor. "Val Yor, we have had our differences in the past, and I am sorry for your pain, but now we must focus on the danger now. My planet…my friends in danger. So I ask you now Val Yor, please…..help."

Val Yor was surprised at this request, because he was still in his despondant mood. However, the determination and sincerity in Starfire's eyes was enough to lift even him out of his gloom.

"I guess you aren't as soft as I thought you were Tamaranian."

Val Yor gave a smirk. 

"Well…. no one's gonna say Captain Val Yor of Vernathia backed out from a fight." He stood up, and Starfire instantly ripped his shackles to pieces.

"I'm in."


	38. Trial Act 3

**Act 3, part 1**

The cell doors were violently blasted apart as two sets of lasers burned their way through the reinforced steel. One was the red heat vision from Val Yor's eyes, while the other was Star's green eye beams.

The door gave one last heavy sigh as detached from its hinges, slamming down on to the ground with a loud rumble.

"Didn't know you Tamaranians could do that too." Val Yor commented with a smirk.

"There is much about my people you do not know." Starfire smiled.

"Well, princess, let's get this on." Val Yor cracked his knuckles, then went out into the hallway. Starfire, still in her old battle armor, followed.

Before any of them could fly away however, several weapons clicked through the smoke. And Starfire and Val Yor turned to their right and saw through the dust the silhouettes of at least a dozen Centauri police guards, all of them aiming laser weapons at them. 

The fun did not stop there though, on their left side, were thirteen insidious figures, each one dressed in a red executioner's robe and wearing a skull mask. The Jury made no sounds as they each took out their weapon. One carried a scythe while another an electro-shock baton. The hangman of the jury reveal a slipknot from his robes while others carried rifles and axes. The Judge, herself, was armed with a sword.

"I hold you all in contempt." The Judge hissed. "You cannot hope to escape your sentence."

"I guess they really did mean it when they said Justice was blind." Val Yor commented sarcastically, noting the explosions that were resounding from the floors below them. The very ground was shaking from the chaos that Zasz's team had thrown the Tribunal in.

Starfire didn't reply, instead, she got herself ready for a fight. Her hands and eyes were all charged up and glowing. She was pulling no strings now, not with so much on the line.

"ATTACK!" Judge yelled, and instantly, the Centauri guards and Jury rushed the two fugitives.

Suddenly however, the walls behind Starfire and Val Yor exploded, revealing a large hole where several more figures emerged. One of them was a benemoth, holding a spear that looked as though you could impale an elephant on it.

"If you wish to even lay a hand on Princess Starfire, you will have to go through me." Galfore roared, and behind him, more Taramanian guards, brandishing spears in fully body armor.

"Arrest them all!" Judge shouted in fury, and suddenly the two groups of Tamaranian guards and Centauri soldiers descended into a vicious melee. The guards managed to close the distance before the Centauri's could even fire their weapons, forcing many to the ground.

More explosions rocked the chamber as laser fire erupted between the Tamaranian and Centauri guards. A Centauri guard roared a challenge as he grabbed a Tamaranian spear, throwing the alien into the wall before being set upon by two more guards. Galfore meanwhile, smacked a Centauri with his arm so hard that he flew right into the ceiling, crashing down unceremoniously onto a party of his comrades.

Starfire watched as Val Yor took on the Jury, punching the robed masked man with the electroshock plugs only to be ambushed from behind as the member with the slip knot pulled the rope around Val Yor's neck, intending to choke him. The Vernathian grunted with strain as he tried to throw the jury member off his back, in front of him, the members with the axe and poison needles closed in.

"Val Yor!" Starfire charged her hands with starbolts, but before she could even attack, Galfore walked behind Val Yor, picked up the jury member like a small toy doll, and threw him into his two other compatriots. The three enemies grunted as they all fell to the ground like nine pins.

The Judge, and the other members of the jury closed in.

"Go on Starfire! We can take care of these guys." Val Yor said in his usually cocky attitude. "Don't you have a planet to save right now?"

Starfire, realizing that there was little time to spare, powered down and nodded. She flew off, leaving Galfore and the Tamaranian emperor and guards fighting, causing more rumbles and blasts to echo throughout the chamber.

There was no other option. To save her home, she had to take down Zasz's team, even if it meant doing it by herself.

Starfire, wasting no time on using the stairs, immediately plowed through the floor onto the lower levels, where the carnage caused by Zasz's team was still ensuing. As Starfire floated above what's left of the courtroom, she saw civilians running away from the chamber in panic, along with the bodies of several unconscious and wounded Centauris lying on the ground. Laser burns on the walls and smoking craters were tell tale signs of the battle that had taken place here.

"I hope I am not too late." Starfire said with concern as she flew towards the entrance to the main hallway.

Before she could do anything however, she suddenly felt the breath getting knocked out of her. A powerful force descended from behind her, gripping her waist and pulling her straight down onto the ground with a thunderous crash.

Starfire was temporarily dazed by the sudden attack, finding her reflexes too slow to cope with her assailant. She gazed up, and in horror, found that a robotic claw, with a predatory and savage shape to it, held her by the waist.

"Nonsense my dear," The Crysalis hunter cackled, salivating through her half robotic mouth. "You're just in time for dinner."

Starfire grunted as she tried to squeeze out of the massive death grip, but to no avail, the Cyrsalis hunter was stronger this time around.

"But first." The monster pulled Starfire up to her face. "I'll soften you up a little first."

With a ferocious growl, the Hunter threw Starfire against a section of the wall, which exploded into a cloud of rubble. The Hunter, with an arachnid-like stance, walked right up to Starfire, who was still lying in the rubble.

"You have caused me much pain, my dear. I can't have you eaten yet until I have you experience the same thing." The Crysalis hunter hissed, then lifted back its claw, pointing it straight at Starfire, intending to use it as a spear.

Starfire rolled out of the way as the claw stabbed down, causing slabs of the floor to fly up with an immense force.

Starfire rushed forward, punching the hunter in the jaw with such force that it forced the large monster to reel back by a couple of steps, stopping temporarily.

The Hunter however, merely turned back to face Starfire, and cracked her mechanical jaw back into place with a sickening crunch. Before Starfire could even comprehend the horror she just saw, the hunter attacked.

Starfire fired more bolts at the hunter, but the monster swapped them away with ease, when she got close enough, she swung at Starfire with her massive claw, knocking the Tamaranian back into the bleachers, throwing seats and rubble into the air.

"I don't care what Zasz says." The Hunter smirked evily. "I will have my revenge." She lunged again, and this time, Starfire took to the skies, firing a massive barrage of Starbolts at the monstrosity. The Tamaranian circled the hunter, firing continuously and desperately with her eyes and hand blasts, but it did nothing.

The Hunter cackled as the starbolts bounced off her cybernetic armor, then she jumped into the air, intending on grabbing Starfire with her claw. The Tamaranian swerved out of the way, dodging the claw, but not before the Hunter revealed a set of blades on the side of her claw that weren't there a second before. Starfire screamed in pain as she was cut in the arm by the blades.

Both combatants landed soon after, the Hunter with a loud explosion of dust, while Starfire floated back down to Earth with a deep wound, clutching her left arm in pain.

"Aw, what a nasty wound. That must hurt." The Crysalis hunter said in a soothing almost lady-like voice. She clamped her claws, which at the same time, revealed more blades that shot out of her arms and tips of her claws.

"I must help. DEEPEN IT." She rushed Starfire, who responded by firing her eye beams.

The Crysalis hunter screamed in pain as the beams shot clean her one of the robotic parts of her body, but her face instantly reverted back to the savage and primal look she displayed all day, and she ran even faster, ignoring the laser fire that was burning a hole into her shoulder.

Starfire braced herself as the Crysalis hunter made contact, slamming Starfire's entire body against the wall with her claws, and holding her there like helpless prey.

"It has been so long since I've tasted sustenance." The Hunter said hungrily, almost regrettably. "Since I've felt whole and nourished."

"But oh well, I guess It won't hurt to give this a try." The villain laughed, she opened her mouth, which immediately expanded to monstrous proportions, like snake's mouth. Revealing a monstrous set of teeth and a purple-greenish tongue that slithered out like a snake. She was going to eat Starfire right then and there.

Starfire cringed back as she saw the tongue reaching out to wrap around her, to pull her into the depths of that nightmarish black hole filled with teeth. Starfire struggled, grunting as she tried to push back the claws with all her strength.

"No, you….. will…… not." She said in determination, forcing the claws apart from her little by little.

Her eyes lit up now, and she shot at the alien's massive tongue, scorching it and sending the Hunter reeling back in screeches of pain.

The next move was fast as Starfire dove forward, aiming to punch the hunter straight in the head. The monster saw this, and lifted a claw to block the attack. Blocking a claw swipe with her good hand, she punched at the Cybernetic hand with all her might.

Starfire felt a massive jolt of pain as her cut up arm made contact with the cold steel, but soon enough, her punch went straight through, breaking the hard outer shell and meshing with the circuitry inside.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" The hunter gave an inhuman scream.

Starfire gritted her teeth in pain, while the Crysalis hunter reeled back screaming. Starfire then delivered a high kick right up the Hunter's chin, and the massive monster flew several dozen feet into the air, flying across to the other side of the room where she landed against the wall, breaking it apart and burying herself in a mountain of rubble.

The Hunter was down.

Starfire landed back onto the ground, catching her breath as she clasped her wounded arm. The pain throbbed with each beat of her heart, but she sucked it in, and continued moving.

Starfire painfully made her way down to the lower levels, where the sounds of battle had stopped. Whatever was going on, it seemed that the fight had ended.

The Tamaranian found herself breathing heavily. She had never felt this much adrenaline before, back on Earth, she would always count on one of her friends to back her up, knowing full well that by working together they would achieve victory. But now, she was all alone, fighting against the very enemies who had managed to beat her team together.

She fought back the urge to feel hopelessness. She had always been thought of as helpless by her enemies, her shy and timid attitude reinforced this opinion no less. But this time was different, Star took this time to remember all the fighting tips she had learned while on Earth, every thing she could remember from all battles she had fought, whether alone or with her friends, she would need it all now if she were to overcome this trial. She regretted not spending more time training with Robin…surely he could have taught her some more-

Robin! Starfire immediately remembered something.

She reached into her pocket, and pulled out the circular disc that she had caught from Robin right before her capture. The Gordinian guards, arrogant as usual, did not even bother to search her. 

Although she had no idea how to use it, it was her only weapon right now, that and her starbolts. Keeping the object in mind, she pocketed it back and flew towards her next goal.

She entered the new chamber, this one a narrow hallway that led to the armory. It did not take her long to find, she only had to follow the trail of craters and bodies.

Starfire instinctively swerved to the left, avoiding a blue laser blast that completely destroyed the pillar she was flying beside, causing it to crumble onto the ground.

The Tamaranian scanned the room to find no movement, nor could she confirm the source of the laser.

But soon, her attacker revealed himself anyway.

Phasing through one of the pillars, was Splicer, carrying two large rail guns in each arm.

"Going somewhere Princess?" Splicer chuckled, then aimed his rail guns at Starfire. Two laser streams immediately burned through the ceiling, missing Starfire, who swerved out of the way to avoid the blasts.

Starbolts instantly slammed the ground afterwards, as the Tamaranian wasted no time in counter attacking. But Splicer simply stood there. Standing calmly as Starfire's massive barrage blasted holes and craters into the floors and walls around her target. Starfire stopped however, when she realized that Splicer was assuming his transparent form.

"Took you long enough to figure that out." The villain phased back to solid form now, and fired.

Starfire arched back in the air, letting the show pass by her face, missing her by just inches, and blowing a hole right in the ceiling.

"I'll give you a hint." Splicer said as he charged up his second rail gun, aiming it carefully at Starfire. "You want to be moving as much as you can."

The next barrage of blasts completely took Starfire by surprise, instead of one giant beam, the weapons fire multiple short bursts.

Starfire, taking note of Splicer's movements, dove straight at the villain, braving through the barrage of explosions, and taking great care that they did not distract her. A green starbolt was charged up in her hand now, and she took careful aim. And fired….

…blowing up one of Splicer's rail gun barrels. The villain grunted as the weapon exploded in his hand, lightly scorching his arm in laser burns.

The mercenary growled as he threw away his now useless cannon, taking the other one and aiming it with both arms. "Alright, that's it! You're gonna-"

Starfire had already punched him in the face, kicking Splicer's other gun out of his hand and sending it crashing to pieces onto the ground.

The villain staggered back, grasping his chin as his arm shook from Starfire's kick.

"Guns, bare hands. It's all the same." Splicer shrugged. Then charged Starfire, both his fists curled up as if he were preparing to punch.

Starfire obliged, charging straight at the mercenary, and ignoring the stabbing pain in her left arm. The two combatants shouted their charges, and they closed the distance between them quickly.

Splicer however, stopped, and just inches from Starfire just before she charged at him, pulled out two laser pistols from under his sleeves.

"Just kidding." The villain smirked.

Two blasts rocked the room as the lasers hit Starfire, exploding upon impacting and sending the Tamaranian flying back into the wall.

The mercenary laughed. "I can't believe you actually fell for that, then again, I got to hand it to ya, no one's been able to punch me before." Splicer walked forward casually

"You will be surprised with what I can do." Starfire shot back, still aching from the last laser blast, but quickly pulling herself back to her feet.

"I somehow doubt that." Splicer broke into a run now, firing both pistols just as Starfire flew again. Running in between pillars, Splicer fired several blasts at Starfire, who returned with a barrage of Starbolts and eyebeams. Splicer instinctively ducked and jumped to avoid the ones he could, phasing through the ones he didn't bother to avoid. The Starbolts all exploded harmlessly behind him, creating massive craters in the golden walls.

Splicer meanwhile, fired as well hitting the pillars as Starfire swerved around them, firing whenever she had an opening.

The two opponents eventually ran out of pillars, and Starfire elected to close the distance, turning around and flying straight at Splicer.

Splicer fired and fired, but found that this time, rather than avoiding the shots, Starfire was taking the blasts head on, in order to sacrifice mobility to close the distance. Splicer fired, but as he pulled the trigger, he was rewarded with the click of an empty gun.

Star saw this as her opening, and she increased her speed, charging up both her hands. Splicer however, instead of stopping, continued running, and to Starfire's surprise, threw the gun straight at her.

To Starfire's surprise, the gun exploded like a grenade, throwing her back onto the ground while Splicer kept running forward, phasing through the explosion. Starfire was on the ground now, while Splicer, taking his shotgun-like laser rifle, took pleasure in Starfire's surprise.

"A little trick I picked up from somewhere." He then aimed the gun straight at Starfire, who now had burn marks all over her body. The Tamaranian tried to get up, but found that her wounded arm had no strength, and she staggered back onto the ground.

"Any last words?" Splicer said, his voice was no where near the casual arrogant tone he had before, now it was a deathly cold tone. He aimed at Starfire, clicking his gun and charging up the laser. 

"Yes." Starfire's eyes lit up now, and she fired directly at Splicer, point blank, a constant stream of green laser blast that went straight through the villain's chest, but to no avail, he was already in his transparent form.

Starfire however, kept up the fire, no pausing her shots for a second.

Splicer sighed, then stopped Starfire by slamming his foot on her neck. Starfire choked hard, feeling her head and body jerk up as Splicer's steel boots made rough contact with her throat. She couldn't keep up her laser vision now, and Splicer, noticing this, reverted his whole body back to his solid form.

"I don't think you comprehend the situation here love, you see, I can go through anything I want." Splicer said again.

"I know. But I was not aiming for you." Starfire managed to say, trying to not choke from the massive bruise on her neck.

Seconds later, Splicer noticed that the floor was becoming dark, a shadow suddenly enveloping the area he and Starfire were in. The shape grew quickly, at an extremely fast rate and Splicer took this moment to look up.

The massive rectangular slab, which was carved from the ceiling, came down with a thunderous crash, throwing up a huge wall of dust as it shook the entire room as if an earthquake had taken place. Several pillars nearby collapsed, causing a pile of rubble on the spot where Starfire and Splicer stood.

Starfire's laser beam had carved out a section of the ceiling, which brought down the entire floor above that level. A power generator, which had been on the level above, exploded as it hit the bottom floor, burying Starfire and Splicer under even more rubble.

A slab of concrete suddenly lifted, revealing a bruised and wounded Starfire. Her left arm was dangling uselessly by her side now, completely cut up, while bruises and scraps covered most of her body.

Splicer was in a slightly better shape, having been able to phase through just as he was hit, he got off with some damage, as his armor had been cracked from the shoulders and helmet.

Splicer walked forward, taking out his laser rifle and aiming it at Starfire. "You know, I was going to be nice and all and make it quick, but since you've really pissed me off-"

A spark appeared by Splicer's feet, suddenly making Splicer shudder, the power generator that had fallen from the ceiling was still cackling with electricity. Starfire, seeing that the villain was checking his advance, took good note.

"It seems you cannot go through everything." She grabbed one of the fallen power cables in her good arm.

"Save yourself the trouble princess, you'll be dead long before you-"

Starfire picked up the slab of concrete with both her arms, and flung it towards Splicer, the gunman phased through, but by that time, Starfire had already rushed forward, sticking the electric cable right on Splicer's helmet.

"AAAHHHHH!"

Splicer screamed, the entire hallway became illuminated in a sick blue light as electricity surged through the villain's body and hitting him with several thousand volts. This surge was too much for the remains of the generator, and the machine exploded instantly, throwing Splicer back onto a pile of rubble, smoking and unconscious.

Starfire propped herself against the wall, still trying to stay on her feet. Her head was still spinning from having a slab of the ceiling fall on her. But even though her senses were dulled, the pain in her arm was keeping her conscious, along with the adrenaline of the last fight.

"Well done, I could not have expected less from a Tamaranian savage." Another voice, sinister and snake-like, echoed through the chamber.

Starfire, alarmed at the voice that just appeared behind her, turned around, only to see a giant golden armored fist heading straight at her.

The impact of the punch that followed sent vibrations through the room as Starfire flew backwards, flying through two stone pillars before coming to a rest by the remains of the generator.

The Gordinian Captain, sporting his golden armour that covered all of his massive lizard body, and a red cape, was carrying a spear with him as he walked slowly towards her.

Starfire, thrown a good fifty yards away, put her good arm on the wall and slowly pulled herself up, though she felt her knees shaking with pain from that last punch.

"Why are you doing this? What do you have to gain from this? It was not your planet that was destroyed." Starfire asked as she wiped a small speck of blood from her face, trying to buy up time as she caught her breath.

The Gordinian, though his face was hidden behind an armored lizard shaped mask, was evidently surprised by the question, but he shrugged, suggesting that with Starfire half beaten anyway, there was no harm in telling.

"I suppose at this point, it does not matter whether you know or not." The Gordinian smiled sadistically as he kept walking forward, holding the spear with both hands now.

"You see Tamaranian, the Citadel grows tired of this…galactic peace, and we are looking to acquire a little'….real estate. As we speak, my armada is positioning itself outside of Centauri space. When Earth is destroyed, it will be the signal to move in and attack. Of course, we will be doing this to restore order to the tribunal, which has been hijacked by you and your friends. As an added bonus, the Citadel gets possession of the Planet Destroyer." The Gordinian said with relish. "With that in our hands, nothing will stop the Citadel from reclaiming the empire it once had, including your pathetic planet Tamaran. Zasz can have his justice if he likes, but the Citadel is concerned about power, it is that simple."

Starfire by this time, standing on both her legs now, though she had to lean back on the wall for support.

The Gordinian continued, now he was about thirty yards away from her.

"And what will the Galaxy care? That we conquered a race whose princess was the destroyer of the world Sentien? We would be doing them a favour. None of this of course, would have been possible without you. So I must take this time to thank you." The Gordinian laughed mockingly, while Starfire was once again overtaken by feelings of guilt and disgust.

"You must know this Tamaranian, people like you, who have so much power in their hands, will always have consequences to their actions. To think so otherwise," The Gordinian was now right in front of Starfire, towering over her. "Well, you'd be a fool."

"Goodbye, fool." The Gordinian lunged with the spear, fully intending to impale Starfire against the wall.

The Tamaranian was quick though, she side stepped out of the way, letting the spear dig through the wall, fracturing it. She then used her good arm and threw a punch at the Gordinian, hitting him right in the face so hard that he staggered back.

The Gordinian smirked, rubbing his chin. "Not bad, but it could use a little more work." Starfire meanwhile, was breathing heavily from the adrenaline, literally backed into a corner.

"You should have stayed as a slave on the Citadel, now think of all the people who are going to perish because you." The Gordinian blocked another desperate punch from Starfire, gripping her fist in his hands and almost crushing it with his brute strength.

Starfire screamed in pain, falling onto her knees as she heard the sound of bones cracking in her fist.

"That's right, on your knees you Troq." The Gordinian laughed.

Starfire however, instantly shot her head up, her eyes blazing with a green fiery that took the Gordinian off guard.

"It is not over yet!" She shouted a challenge, shooting an eyebeam at the Gordinian's head. The armored alien dropped Starfire's hand, blocking the shot with his arm, but Starfire was quick, swiping at the Gordinian's legs with her own and causing the massive lizard to fall on his back.

Starfire then jumped up, and pointing both feet down, slammed into the fallen Gordinian's stomach with such force that slabs of the floor shot up from the crater that had formed.

Starfire took to the air again, landing just a few feet away from the smoking crater where the Gordinian lay. She grinded her teeth as the pain in her left arm shot out even more, so much she found herself gripping her shoulder with the other arm.

The Gordinian chuckled, emerging from the crater and running at Starfire. The Tamaranian fired starbolts with her good arm, but the giant lizard just brushed them aside. He punched Starfire in the stomach, then picked her up like a rag doll and threw her across the room, which blasted a huge whole in the wall she landed through.

"Come on now, you don't honestly believe you can beat me? I've kept track of your activities on Earth, you are nothing without your team." The Gordinian rushed forward, and before Starfire could do anything, she was body slammed by the Gordinian, and throw through another room in an explosion of rubble.

Starfire coughed as the alien's monstrous hand gripped her throat, slamming her against the wall. She tried to push the massive hand away, but found her own arms too weak.

The Gordinian, his spear gone, held up his free hand. He grinned sinisterly as the armored tips of his fingers suddenly began extending, so much that his hand suddenly became as deadly as any sword. Starfire widened her eyes as the Gordinian's eyes showed another flash of sadistic pleasure.

The end was coming.

Meanwhile, amongst the rubble, Splicer weakly crawled to where he could see Starfire, who was at least a hundred meters away. The smoke from the rubble was blinding his vision, but he could barely make out Starfire, who seemed to be backing against the wall.

He propped his laser rifle up now, and charging it up to full power for his one and only shot. It was nothing like the other shots he used before, this one, not even a shadow of that wretched girl would remain.

That Tamaranian was going to pay. Splicer smirked.

He fired, and a huge blue beam of light blasted through the rubble. The laser rifle, overloading from the massive blast, exploded, and Splicer was thrown back again, this time, unconscious.

Starfire tried to gasp, struggling for breath as the death choke intensified. The Gordinian was smiling, then he lunged.

Only to stop, as a blue light suddenly bathed the two figures.

"What-" The Gordinian turned to look.

Starfire, aware of what was coming, used the Gordinian's lapse in concentration to kick him in the arm, which loosened his grip until Starfire was able to wrench herself free. Kicking the Gordinian hard in the gut, she grabbed his shoulders and twisted him around so that he would shield her from the brunt of the blast.

The Gordinian screamed in pain as the laser stream blasted straight into him, blowing apart his Golden armor at the arms and legs while disintegrating his helmet. Starfire closd her eyes, ignoring the scathing pain as the laser burst caused an explosion, completely covering that section of the room in smoke and flame.

The Gordinian, his golden armor now charred black, was thrown into the wall, smoking and unconscious.

Starfire, still gripping her wounded arm, wasted no time in moving on. She flew to the final room.

The sign on the room read 'reactor', and Starfire could only guess that this room powered the massive weapon that Zasz was trying to hijack. The clue was also the fact that the massive reinforced doors into the room were blown apart, as if completely incinerated through.  
She could not make out much in the chamber, save for a massive generator that took up the center of the circular room. The chamber however, was bathed in darkness, no lights were on, and Starfire found herself charging her green Starbolt in her good hand to shed light.

There was no sound, not even a soul around. Starfire glanced to the other side of the room, where another set of doors were, this one, leading to the weapon.

That was it, this was where she needed to go.

Then suddenly the entire area lit up in a brilliant orange light, as pillars of flame erupted from the catwalks that flanked the generator.

The electrical systems kicked to life now, and soon, the lights in the generator room were back on, and with them, came a new host of bodies.

Dozens of flame demons now stood on the catwalk, and flanking them were contingents of Gordinian soldiers, all armed with rifles. They all stood quietly, while the Gordinians trained their weapons at Starfire.

But this was not the main thing that caught Starfire's eye, standing in front of the small army of demons and gordinians, was a tall fiery demon who towered over Starfire. His wings were completely made of fire, while his appearance looked like one of those demons from Trigon, only more hardened and threatening.

**"I want you to appreciate this moment Tamaranian,"** Scourge said in a booming overpowering voice, **"knowing full well that soon, i will be tearing you apart limb from limb... and that you will be begging me to end your misery." **

Scourge stepped forward, pointing his claw-like hand very menacingly at Starfire.

**"Let's go."**

A huge gust of wind flowed through the chamber, throwing up debris and dust as Scourge stretched out his massive wings of fire. Starfire immediately threw up both her arms in front of her face, in an attempt to shield her eyes from the virtual sandstorm.

She did not even have a chance to react, as three fire balls cut straight through the cloud of dust. The Tamaranian instinctively dodged them, flying up into the skies and charging her hands with starbolts. The three lava balls exploded harmlessly behind her, burning three neat holes into the wall.

Starfire at this point, was surprised to see that the Fire demons and the Gordinian soldiers weren't attacking her, instead, they filed out to the edges of the room. It looked as though their purpose in the chamber was to prevent her from escaping, while Scourge fought with his prey.

A huge claw emerged from the smoke, aiming to grab Starfire's head in a single grip, but Starfire pulled back, firing a constant stream of green blasts at the creature, who emerged through the smoke with a lightning fast speed. Speed that she would not have attributed to an opponent this big.

Scourge cackled with a fiery intensity as he simply brushed the starbolts away, letting them exploded harmlessly beside him. Instead, the demon lunged forward even more, intent on closing the distance.

Starfire, realizing that firing more bolts would not work, charged her fists with energy and attacked. Using her wounded arm, she lifted it up as a guard to protect her, while her right hand went straight forward to punch Scourge in the face.

The Demon's face instantly disappeared as Starfire rammed a giant starbolt charged fist into it, exploding into a green blast on contact. But the monster was unphased, he gripped Starfire's right arm, twisting it out of the way and punched Starfire right in the face, sending more shockwaves through the room.

Before Starfire even had a chance to fly backwards, Scourge reached forward again, gripping Starfire by the neck plate of her armor and holding the Tamaranian up to his face. Despite having a very disfigured demonic face, Starfire could tell that the demon was smirking.

With a violent thrust, Scourge slammed Starfire into the wall by her neck, fracturing the wall completely and creating a small Tamaranian sized hole, but he did not let go. Instead, he flew across the room, dragging Starfire along as she was forcibly slammed through each pillar, eventually transforming the small hole she was in into a long scar that ran across the entire wall. When Scourge decided he was done, he tossed Starfire onto the ground, the floor rupturing in an explosion.

Starfire coughed as she got on all fours, her left arm was trembling, either from weakness or the pain, but she couldn't give up. Not now….

Scourge landed next to Starfire, crossing his arms, fully confident that he was the victor.

"A shame, it is hard to believe that you were the ones who defeated the mighty Trigon." Scourge said disdainfully, then stretched out both arms, charging up swirling fire balls in each hand.

Starfire gritted her teeth, turning to face Scourge with a fierce and determined look in her eyes. The Tamaranian reached into her back pocket, revealing her hidden card.

Scourge raised an eye as he saw a circular metallic disc make its way towards his head. The distance was too close, and the throw was too fast, he had no way of dodging it.

The disc slammed into his forehead, but then…did nothing, except get dented, and it fell harmlessly onto the ground.

Starfire was just as surprised that Robin's disc did nothing, she had been in a lot of tough fights before, perhaps it was damaged when it was on her? She didn't waste time anyways, as Scourge had his focus temporarily thrown off. Starfire drove upwards, slamming straight into Scourge with all her might, punching his face as much as she could until her knuckles went numb and even then, she kept on punching. This time, the creature felt it, each punch made the monster concede a step back, and as each punch got more and more rigorous Scourge found his head being knocked from side to side, until finally, a flip kick to the demon's chin sent him flying backwards a few feet.

Scourge checked his flight path however, by spreading his wings, and after landing back onto the ground, the monster gave his chin a little wipe.

The monster didn't say anything however, acknowledging that Starfire was going to fight, he was taking it to the next level.

Instantly, his golden claws extended out, so that each one was about as long and sharp as any sword. More fireballs emerged, this time out of thin air, all of them circling around him as if he were controlling them with his will.

Starfire put both her hands together, charging up a starbolt that was at least five times as big as a normal one.

Scourge smirked with relish at this sight, then he charged forward, firing a stream of fire from his palm while at the same time, unleashing all the fireballs at Starfire.

Starfire gave a cry, then released her giant starbolt. Scourge's fire blast was streaming straight towards it, aiming to cancel it out.

To his surprise however, the Starbolt, instead of canceling out, exploded into dozens of small pieces, each one heading straight for the demon. Scourge however, made no attempt to dodge, or stop his advance, he flew straight at Starfire, throwing off all the fireballs he had floating in the air.

Dozens of small explosions resulted, clouding both opponents in a trail of smoke as they exchanged punches and blows inside the dust. The Gordinian and Fire Demon guards watched silently as they waited for the winner of the exchange to come out.

Starfire grunted as the next punch sent her flying straight back, sliding on the floor until she came to a stop at the wall, making a neat dent. The small circular disc was lying next to Starfire in the rubble now, and it was becoming apparent that she was not going to win with brute force alone.

She reached for the disc, perhaps there was something she had to do to activate it, Robin would not have given it to her unless it would have helped her.

Before she could even touch the weapon however, a foot stomped on her arm, and Starfire felt a very distinct crack as even more pain surged through her.

Scourge stood over Starfire now, his claws dangling menacingly above Starfire as he prepared for the death blow.

"In case you need a little reminder Tamaranian, this is the part where you scream." The demon cackled.

Before the monster could attack however, a red blast forced him back, sending him flying at least twenty feet away into the air.

"Who dares strike me?" The Monster got back up, roaring.

"Sorry, ticking people off seems to a habit of mine, something I can't help." Val Yor said nonchalantly as he landed just between the monster and Starfire.

"Val Yor?"

"Don't worry princess, Its not like I came alone." The Vernathian said smugly.

Seconds later, a series of explosions erupted through the chamber from all sides, several doorways were blasted open, revealing dozens of Tamaranian and Centauri troops, all of them armed to the teeth.

Scourge, seeing this sudden opposition emerge, pointed to the doorways.

"Annihilate them!"

The Gordinians and Fire demons attacked, as laser fire and inferno blasts echoed the chamber. Centauris flooded the chamber, using rubble as cover while the Gordinians followed suit. Scourge's fire demons took to the skies, only to be met by their Tamaranian counterparts, who each tackled a demon down onto the ground.

One of the Tamaranians was a furious Galfore, who swung his axe to decapitate six Fire demon's in a row.

Before long, the room erupted into another fresh battlefield, as Gordinians, Centauris, demons and Tamaranians shot, punched, kicked and blew each other to pieces in the stadium sized chamber.

As more explosions and fights took place in the background, Val Yor went to Starfire. "How's the arm?" He asked.

Starfire's face showed a flash of pain as she gave it an experimental move. "I believe I can still move it." Good, it wasn't broken.

"How did you manage to work together?" Starfire inquired curiously.

"Well…it didn't take long to realize the situation, besides, Cron cleared up everything." Val Yor jerked his head back, to reveal the Centauri officer who had led the squad to capture Starfire in the first place.

The Centauri officer gave Starfire a brisk nod. "There were…..mistakes made, so we are here to rectify them."

"Fools, I will not give you time to rest." Scourge roared, then launched himself at Val Yor.

"Leave the ugly one to me." Val Yor charged forward, locking fists with the huge monster, but to Starfire's surprise, the alien was doing well on his own. Cron came up behind Scourge, but the demon fired a blast from his eyes, knocking the Centauri away into a fighting mass of Centauri and Gordinians, knocking most of them down.

Before Scourge could do anything else, he felt a stinging pain in his sides, but it wasn't Val Yor.

The twelve members of the jury had dog piled themselves on Scourge, one of them had already stuck his poison needle into the monster, while another attempted to choke Scourge with a slipknot. More Jury members came, stabbing Scourge with their axes, shock plugs, swords and knives, until finally, at least a dozen people were dangling off Scourge, with some weapon stuck inside of him.

Scourge simply roared with laughter.

"Ah …pain, how refreshing." Scourge then transformed into one gigantic ball of fire, completely throwing everyone off as a seering blast of heat filled the chamber. Val Yor hit the wall behind Starfire, while the two jury members were tossed aside like dolls.

Scourge, still in his transparent fireball form, walked towards Starfire.

**"It is about time I finish you, isn't it?"** Scourge laughed, spreading out his fire wings around her, as if he were trying to engulf Starfire.

The Tamaranian turned around, trying to crawl away. Star gritted her teeth as more pain shot through her body. She reached out into the rubble….

**" Burn! Tamaranian."** Scourge roared, then suddenly trapped Starfire inside his fireball form.

All around her, Starfire could feel the flames incinerating her, all she heard was the monstrous roar of flame as it spiraled chaotically around her. She tried to blast her way out with a starbolt, but found that they dissipated in the pure fire that surrounded her.

Val Yor saw what Scourge was doing, the monster's body was completely made of fire now and the Tamaranian was being burnt alive inside his frame. He flew to help her, but didn't know if he was fast enough.

Meanwhile, inside the fiery monster, Starfire heard the mocking voice. **"Did you really think you could escape from me?" **

Starfire grunted, holding back the scorching pain that coursed through every vein in her body.

"I….was…..not running away." She held out her hand, and to Scourge's surprise, saw that she was carrying something.

"I was getting this." Starfire's eyes suddenly blazed green, and with all her might, she gripped her fist, crushing Robin's disc in a powerful grip.

The disc exploded.

Scourge screamed in pain as icicles stabbed out of his body, a small blast of blue mixed in with the fire, extinguishing and hardening the flames. The inferno kept going however, which served only to expand the ice explosion even more. Soon, Scourge exploded into a huge ball of ice.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…"

Scourge raised in hands and roared in pain, and slowly, but surely, his movements slowed down, his blood red body soon became crystalline blue, and soon, he was frozen, just like a statue.  
Seconds later, a massive explosion erupted from Scourge's chest, scattering his ice statue and revealing a coughing, slightly charred Starfire.

"That was some crazy stunt you pulled Tamaranian." Val Yor smirked as he propped up Starfire.

Starfire smiled weakly, then cringed as the pain in her left arm came back, but at this point, she was able to stand on her own two feet…but just barely.

Val Yor looked around the room now, the laser fire wasn't dying down, several unconscious Gordinians and Centauris still lay on the ground, but there was no sign that the fight was ending soon.

Starfire suddenly gasped, and Val Yor looked at where Starfire was staring at, by the doorway.

It was Zasz.

Val Yor rushed forward, but before he could do anything, Zasz lashed out one of his stingers, which stabbed Val Yor in the leg. The Vernathian screamed as he went down onto the ground, gripping it.

Zasz simply looked at Starfire, then turned around and left, as if inviting her to follow him.

"Stupid Crixie." Val Yor bit his lip. "Stung me."

"Are you alright?" Starfire asked.

"Can't move my leg….." The alien said.

"Well stay here, I shall stop Zasz." She said confidently.

"It's a trap princess, he paralyzed me so I wouldn't follow…you gotta-"

But by the time Val Yor turned around, Starfire was gone, having already disappeared into the long hallway.

It took Starfire only a few minutes to fly to her destination, as the chamber was connected to the power room by another long empty hall.

The planet destroyer chamber reminded Starfire a lot of Chang's warehouse, the circular platform contained a massive cannon that dominated the room, the only difference was that this gun was much larger than Chang's weapon.

Starfire flew into the room now, almost limping as she landed. She was going to be feeling this pain for some time to come, but to her surprise, she found that it was not the thing that immediately concerned her the most.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for this moment Tamranian." The cold metallic voice echoed through the dark chamber. Starfire charged both her hands with whatever energy she had left, preparing for the onslaught.

Still, she found herself too weak to withstand even this attack.

A metallic claw launched from out of nowhere, wrapping around Starfire with a cold death grip. Starfire struggled, but found that now her arms had no strength at all. The Starbolts simply powered down in her hand.

For good measure, Zasz slammed Starfire into a nearby pile of metallic storage units, completely denting and destroying them as he threw her around.

It didn't take long before Starfire had the air knocked completely out of her.

Zasz pulled Starfire up the platform now, where he had taken his place by a set of control panels, aiming the giant gun out to the stars, presumably at Earth. Starfire, upon seeing this, grunted with strain as she tried to break free. But she simply did not have the strength left, she was at her limit. Zasz however, took no chances, and two stingers hit Starfire in the legs, paralyzing them instantly. The Tamaranian screamed as the sharp claws stabbed into her, making her lose all feeling in her legs temporarily.

"My claws were made to be twice as strong as the Locrix you fought in your last encounter. Do not bother." Zasz said coldly, using his free hand to type in the final coordinates on the control panel.

"Soon, it will all be over."

"You must not do this Zasz! Please, there is another way. I'll do what it takes to help find another way." Starfire pleaded weakly.

"There is nothing left but this." Zasz pushed the button on the console, and soon, the gigantic gun began charging up, with cackles of electricity filling the room. "And now, you will get a front row seat to it."

A screen popped up in front of them now, showing an image of Earth. Meanwhile, Zasz held Starfire right up to his face, as if he wanted to squeeze some last words in.

"My people may have been just mindless machines to you Starfire, but they were still MY people." The Robot said with his restrained voice.

Starfire, despite being paralyzed, grunted as she tried to break free of the vice grip.

"I may not have ruled Sentien, nor even owned an inch of it, but it was still MY home." Zasz said coldly, his metallic claw already over the console, ready to press the trigger button.

"Now, you will know what its feels like to have both taken away from you. Be thankful that I will leave you with one planet to grieve on." The Locrix continued.

The cannon was fully charged now, and Zasz mockingly held Starfire up to his face, as if he were going to spit at her, if he had any mouth.

"Any last words? Before Justice is done?" Zasz droned mechanically.

"Yes." Starfire's face hardened with determination.

"Do with me what you will. But I will not allow you to endanger my friends!" She said firmly.

Zasz was almost amused at this statement.

"Your arms are crushed, you have no more strength in your body, I have paralyzed your legs with poison. What can you possibly do to stop me?" He held his claw over the button, then went to press it.

Starfire charged up her laser eyes, and to Zasz's surprise, did the only thing she could do.

She slammed her head right into Zasz's face.

A resounding crack erupted through the chamber, and Zasz gave a scream of pain as he staggered back, completely shocked by the move. A crack appeared on his visor where his five mechanical eyes were.

"ARGH, what are you-!" Zasz screamed in his robotic voice.

Starfire however, did not stop there, after the first hit, she lifted her head up, and hit Zasz again with her skull. This time, it was done with such force that it created a dent in the Locrix's skull.

Starfire lifted her head one more time, this time, she would use whats left of her strength, charging her eyes completely with her green energy.

Zasz staggered back a few steps, saw what Starfire was about to do, but he had no time to react.

Before Starfire delivered her blow, Zasz saw that there was a small trickle of tears coming down her face.

_I'm sorry……_

Starfire screamed, firing her laser eyes and slamming her head into Zasz one last time. The force of the impact was so great that a green energy ball wrapped around Zasz, exploding in a violent blast of light as the Locrix fell off the railing, dropping several stories onto the ground with a loud crash. He was unconscious, beaten.

Starfire was about to follow Zasz down as well, but not before she was caught in the air by Val Yor.

"The paralyzing poison is only temporary, so don't worry about it." Val Yor smirked, but he silently cursed that the poison took so long to wear off. He quickly gave some to Starfire.

"Val….Yor…" Starfire opened her eyes, semi conscious. "I…can't move…."

"Don't worry Princess, just concentrate on resting." Val Yor said in a caring tone, then he carried Starfire away, while the Centauri guards, fresh from arresting all the Gordinians, were making their way into the chamber.

It was over.

Outside, the chambers were completely in chaos. Thousands of alien civilians gathered in their large crowds, angry at the recent destruction of their beloved tribunal, and for the loss of their loved ones in the recent attack. It was a mockery of the authority of Centauri, of the entire Galactic federation. Soon, the surge in anger and outrage was close to breaking out into a general riot, all it needed was focus.

That came easily enough, as Starfire appeared through the massive Tribunal doors, this time, she was being propped up by Val Yor's shoulder. Galfore had already made the arrangements, providing Starfire with a transport back to Earth. The Tamaranian guards move around the crowd uneasily, as more jeers and shouts of 'Troq' echoed.

_The Tribunal's destroyed!_

_It's all her fault that this happened!_

_TROQ! Give her what she deserves!_

"I'm sorry…" Starfire managed to mumble weakly. More boos erupted from the crowd, and soon, it looked as though they were about to get lynched.

However, it was Val Yor who stepped up to the plate.

"QUIET, ALL OF YOU!" The Vernathian shouted out savagely. The Aliens in the crowd, completely surprised, were quickly cowed by the massive voice of the soldier.

Even when the sounds had all subsided, Val Yor was still furious.

"So don't you DARE imply that it was her fault. She was the only one who did anything in this whole mess, while all of you just hid in a corner, you didn't even lift a finger. You've got no right to say this to her, NONE of you." Val Yor said angrily, glaring at the thousands of eyes that had a second ago, looked upon them with rage, now they were bewildered by this outburst.

The crowd maintained the uneasy silence.

"Val Yor?" Starfire mumbled weakly.

"It's ok Princess," Val Yor gave a wink, as if it was his nickname for Starfire, just like how he called Beast Boy 'champ' or Robin 'spiky.' It didn't register at first to Starfire, but she smiled.

"Come on, let's get you home." The Vernathian, still propping Starfire on his shoulder, walked quietly to the ship, escorted by the Centauri and Tamaranian guards.

Meanwhile back on Earth, the final preparations were complete. The sun was setting on Titans tower, and already, a giant spaceship was sticking from the rooftop.

"ALRIGHT YOU ALIENS! Watch out! Cause Beast Boy is packing heat!" The green Changeling declared boastfully as he packed two twin cannons into the newly repaired T-ship.

"Uh Beast Boy, those are super soakers." Raven pointed out rather sarcastically.

"I read this somewhere, Aliens hate water. So I'm going give those guys a soaking they'll never forget!" The changeling declared with determination.

"Are all the preparations set?" Robin said impatiently as he pressed the controls in his cockpit.

"Just a few minutes to recalibrate the hyperspace drive." Cyborg said over the intercom. Rebuilding the T-ship from scratch had taken days, and during that time the team had tried everything to locate Starfire, to no avail. Even Raven's spells could not reach far enough into space to detect Starfire's presence, while every star map Cyborg pulled up didn't even give the location of the Centauri moons. So the team decided to do it the old fashioned way, to rebuild the ship and search every star if they needed to.

"Alright, let's blast off." Robin declared.

"Wait, Robin," Cyborg said over the intercom. "I'm picking up a large object approaching on radar, check your console."

Robin however, could have saved himself the trouble, within seconds, a massive shadow had engulfed the T-ship and the roof of the tower.

The boy wonder instantly took off his earphones and saw the giant spaceship hovering above the tower. This one was a Centauri ship, not like the Gordinian one that had attacked earlier, but it was the same enemy.

"Looks like those guys are back for round two." Cyborg said.

"Titans, go!"

Instantly, all four titans opened their cockpits and jumped out of the T-ship. Cyborg had charged up his sonic cannon, while Raven charged up. Robin took out two bo staffs while Beast Boy prepared to transform.

A doorway opened in the spaceship now, and the Titans prepared to rush the aliens.

But this time, only a solitary figure stood in the doorway, a person the Titans never expected to see again.

"Val Yor, I should have known." Robin said with hostility.

"Chill out spiky. I'm not here to fight. Just to bring Starfire home." He stepped forward, and the team recoiled in shock as they realized that he was carrying a wounded Starfire in his arms. She was badly bruised all over, although bandages were applied over her left arm and legs.

"What have you done to her!" Robin said angrily, as if he was JUST restraining his impulse to beat down Val yor.

"Do not worry friends," Starfire gave a weak smile as Val Yor propped her back down onto solid ground. The Tamaranian now stood firmly, although a little weakly, on the rooftop of the tower, in front of her friends. "Val Yor has helped me, I would not have made it without him."   
The Titans suddenly widened their eyes in surprise. Val Yor? Helping Starfire?

"Got to hand it to you princess, you fight as well as any Vernathian I've met." He gave Starfire a thumbs up.

Starfire smiled weakly, walking towards her team, where Cyborg and Raven quickly rushed to prop her up.

"Thank you Val Yor, for everything."

"Don't thank me Starfire, I'm the reason why you're in this mess. Even if you were a Tr-…Tamaranian." The Vernathnian said uneasily, but he gave a rare smile. "I was wrong in my opinion of you Starfire."

It was a handsome retraction of every insult he had given her. And although it was far from being an apology, Starfire knew that coming from Val Yor, it meant a lot, and it was probably his way of saying so. 

"And I of you Val Yor, you are really a hero, just as you say."

Val Yor shook his head. "No, not after what happened."

Starfire's smile suddenly faded. "So….what now?"

"I confessed to everything Starfire. After all, I was the one who put the quantum eradicator into the core, I pulled the trigger. It wasn't you." Val Yor said solemnly.

"So…does that mean." Starfire couldn't believe what she was hearing, Val Yor had taken all the blame? Then…the execution.

"I'll leave the sentence up to the Tribunal. I don't really care anyways Starfire. You were right. All this time, I've been acting blindly on my anger. And because of that, I endangered your friends and my people." He looked at Starfire again, a flash of guilt in his eyes. "And I almost destroyed a good person."

"It's time I owned up to my mistakes." The Vernathian said firmly.

"Please, you do not have to go alone." Starfire pleaded weakly.

"I already talked it over with your Galfore. He and I agreed, it was the only way to save you."

"You did not have to do such a thing for me, I've also…"

"No Starfire. Never think that. It was me, and me alone. You don't have anything to feel guilty about!" Val Yor replied fiercely, almost angrily. "It's my mistake, my problem, and I intend to make up for it. Anyway I can."

"So….i guess this is goodbye…" Starfire said sadly.

"What? I said I'd own up, but I'm not going down without a fight." Val Yor smirked. "Besides, our actions gave me some leverage to use against the judge, so I think I can squeeze out of it. We'll meet again, I promise." He extended his hand to Star. "And I never go back on a promise."

Starfire, at first feeling gloomy about the thought of Val Yor facing the trial and sentence alone, was suddenly overcome by the alien's confidence. Smiling a little, she shook his hand. "I will hold you to your word Val Yor, may X'hal keep you safe."

Val Yor nodded. "The Earth is lucky to have people like you. I expect to hear great things from you kid." He smirked, stepping back onto the alien platform, where already, several Centauri policemen waited for him.

"Catch ya around Princess." Val Yor gave one last wave as the platform was lifted into the spaceship, which quickly flew off into the horizon, and ultimately, vanishing back into space.

"Starfire…what was all that about?" Robin asked curiously.

Starfire shook her head quietly. "Nothing…we just got to, as you earthlings say 'know each other better'."

"Do you think we'll see him again?" Cyborg asked.

"I believe we will friend, we will. But now, I only wish to return to my home. It has been awhile since I have….had the 'bath'."

"Its good to have you back Star." Robin smiled. "Welcome home."

The Titans cheered, then went back into the tower, treating Starfire's injuries, before she entered however, she took one more look at the sky. Throughout her trials, she had thought many times about giving up, but it was the thought of her friends had kept her going. Now, she smiled knowing that she had another friend travelling amongst the stars. A friend she would hope to one day see again.

**The End****  
**


	39. Game Over intro

**Episode 10: Game Over**

Consciousness came slowly at first, the blackness giving way to a blinding white light. Shapes and colors followed soon after.

"Ugh…." Beast Boy groaned, rubbing his head painfully as he got up. Lying next to him, were the other four members of his team, all sprawled unconsciously on the floor.

"What hit me?" Cyborg rubbed his head, taking the moment to notice the surroundings. The place they were in didn't seem that weird, they were outside in a plain, with small patches of trees, rolling hills as far as the eye can see. The sun was bright in the sky, while a warm breeze blew through the area. The other titans were semi-conscious now, groaning weakly as they propped themselves up on the grassy plain

"As you humans say, I do not believe we are in the Kansas." Starfire said innocently as she pondered the surroundings. "Perhaps if we- AWWWWWWW!" The Tamaranian clasped her hands, shouting in joy as birds and little cute animals were frolicking in the fields. Her eyes were aglow as she watched the little creatures hope around innocently.

"Why am I not surprised." Raven sighed, something about this wasn't right. Robin was the same, and he got up, shaking the dizziness from his head.

"Last thing I remember….we were fighting….WAHHHH!" 

A pop up screen suddenly exploded in Robin's face! And Robin fell back onto the ground with a 'thump'. The four other titans recoiled back as he saw a very familiar figure appear in the screen. The guy fat face with long straggly hair, dressed in the warp-trek suit who was also secretly a fanboy…...

**Well if it isn't my Arch Nemesiii, the TEEN TITANS!** Control Freak let out a nasty nerd-like laugh.

"Control Freak." Robin said in his usual mandatory serious tone.

**"That's Right! In case you were wondering, you were just Zapped by my new Reality Warp-a-tron 5000!** Control Freak brandished a brand spanking new remote in his hand, kissing it as if it were his most prized possession. **"Able to breeze through 5000 channels per second, but more importantly, it allows me to control my own reality world. The World you are now trapped in. MUHAHAHAHAHAHHA!"**

"Not for long." Robin said seriously, taking out his bo staff. Cyborg transformed his arm into a sonic cannon, while Raven and Starfire charged up their powers.

Before that happened however, Control Freak pressed the button on his remote. A flash of energy quickly enveloped the titans. Robin's bo staff vanished from his hands, while Raven and Starfire both lost their powers. Cyborg's arm cannon powered down.

**"NUH UH UH. My World. My Rules." **Control Freak giggled intensely, enjoying the fact that he had full power over his enemies.

Not only were their powers gone, but Robin also noticed that their uniforms had changed. Robin was now wearing a tattered brown cloak, and worn down armor that now covered his shoulders.

"If you want to escape this world, you're gonna have to do it with my rules." Control Freak zapped out of the portal now, appearing as a hologram in front of them. "And that means no powers!"

Soon Beast Boy was covered in robed garments as well, only he had a wizard's hat and a staff. Cyborg donned full body armor, carrying a large sword, while Raven found herself covered in dark robes. Starfire was armored, and soon, a bow was magically zapped into her hand.

Control freak laughed even more.

"In this world, everything is a video game, and I've specifically designed ten levels for you to complete, levels that will test your video game knowledge and skills. Failure to pass even one of these tests will result in you being trapped here. Forever!"

"You're challenging ME to video games Control Freak? Oh you are so getting owned." Beast Boy cracked his knuckles, grinning in anticipation.

Cyborg grinned as well. "Anything you dish out, we can take."

"Don't be so quick to judge Titans, you may have gotten lucky in the TV, but Video Games are a whole new level! YOU HAVE NO CHANCE TO SURVIVE MAKE YOUR TIME. hee hee, i always wanted to say that."

All the Titans raised an eyebrow at this statement.

Raven stepped forward, pointing at the cute little video game bunnies frolicking in the field. "Bunnies and squirrels Control Freak? Even for you this is too stupid."

"Oh don't worry. Just wait till you see what else i have in store for you." Control Freak rubbed his hands fiendishly together in anticipation.

Control Freak grinned, clicking his remote at the bunnies before disappearing. Soon, the bunnies disappeared as well, only to be replaced by something else. The ground shook as a large shadow loomed over the land, they were large Mechwarriors . Robots with twin missile launchers, ion cannons and lasers on their arms, and there were at least six of them. Before the Titans even had a chance to take in the sight, the mechs pointed all their cannons and lasers at the team, targeting the heroes. Each step they took literally shook the earth.

Cyborg dropped his jaw. "Well...did anyone else see that coming?"

Robin reached for his utility belt, and pulled out his weapons…

A small knife.

_WTFUXORZ!?!_

Robin winked. Having no idea where that just came from or what it meant. Instead, his focus was at the giant mechs, who were closing their distance.

"TITANS, RUN!"

(Fade to opening)

Kyou mo kotsu ruuru wo mamoru yo  
**TEEN TITANS!**  
Suki kirai-naku nandemo taberu yo  
**TEEN TITANS!**  
Shin kaminari kage oyaji  
Boku no sansu ika shakai  
Kowai mon wa nai mo nai

**Teen Titans GO **

Ookiina koe de yonde okureyo  
**TEEN TITANS!**   
Onayami hanbun kaiketsu shi-chau yo  
**TEEN TITANS!**  
Papa no sukejuru kontorooru  
Mama no taijuu kontorooru  
Negau mon wa hateshinai

**Teen Titans GO **

1...2...3...4...GO! 

**Teen Titans!**


	40. Game Over Act 1

**LEVEL 1**

Once upon a time, there was a happy little place, with happy little creatures. Bunnies hoped and birds chirped in the wide open fields, filled with trees, rivers and large groves of flowers. Butterflies, vibrant with all the colors of the rainbow, filled the sky, which was bright and sunny. Something straight out of a fairytale from a child's book.

Then came the missiles, lasers and Mechwarriors.

Needless to say, it wasn't so happy anymore.

Explosions raked the field, blowing craters, scorching trees, and sending pillars of rock and earth into the air. Laser fire followed, setting fire to the grass plains while missiles filled the air. All the little creatures vanished instantly, and through the smoke, five oddly dressed super heroes emerged.

"Faster!" Robin shouted, "Those things are gaining on us."

"Where exactly are we going?" Cyborg shouted as he ran, heavy sweat went down the side of his face as he was weighed down by the armor and sword he was carrying.

"Away from them!" Robin said as he kept running. More explosions erupted on the side of the road, the landscape itself had changed from a lush green field into a barren plain filled with smoking craters.

"We do not have our powers friends, but perhaps we can make use of the tools Control Freak has given us." Starfire said helpfully, taking an arrow out of the quiver behind her and aiming the bow and arrow towards one of the mechwarriors. Starfire aimed, and quickly fired.

The arrow whistled through the air quickly, hitting the mechwarrior right in the arm. But predictably, the wooden arrow snapped in half.

Cyborg grabbed Star's arm, dragging her along with the team. "You think that a twig could stop that?! Come on! Let's go!"

"There!" Beast Boy shouted excitedly as he pointed to a small town up ahead, where the fields were still green and full of life.

"Beast Boy, its just a town, wooden shacks aren't going to protect us from that." Robin said skeptically.

"Just trust me on this one dude." Beast Boy leaped forward, as if he were preparing to transform into a cheetah, but instead of changing, the titan just fell face forward into the ground.

"Oh… right. No powers hehe." The green titan rubbed his head.

A missile screeched towards the ground, quickly waking Beast Boy up, and the five titans ran towards the road.

TARGET LOCKED.

An ominous beeping sound came from the three mechwarriors, as more compartments opened up in their arms and shoulders, revealing a huge assortment of laser guided missiles.

"We're almost there guys!" Beast Boy shouted

"We're cutting it close B!" Cyborg turned back nervously.

The three Mechwarriors instantly vanished in a cloud of smoke, as dozens of missiles were launched at the Titans. The projectiles twirled into the air, leaving trails of smoke in their wake, like twisted snakes, before diving down back to Earth, heading straight for the five heroes.

"DUCK!" The five Titans dove forward, covering their heads as the missiles exploded, sending a huge cloud of dust that swept over the heroes. For a split second, everything went dark, and all they could hear was explosions all around them.

Robin was the first to open his eyes, and he saw that the Mechwarriors were still standing behind them, but they weren't going any further. It was as if some invisible force was freezing them in place.

"See, told ya." Beast Boy said triumphantly.

The other Titans go up now, dusting off their RPG uniforms as they did.

"But Beast Boy," Starfire inquired curiously. "How did you know they would stop?"

"Because we're in town Starfire! In video games, this is the safest place ever! Plus we can figure out our powers and buy cool items too!" Beast Boy said gleefully.

Robin rubbed the back of his head, which was still aching. He then reached into his belt and pulled out even more knives and daggers. While the Titans were recovering, they were also checking out their new abilities. Cyborg had a gigantic sword that was easily as big as Robin, Starfire had a bow and arrow, while Beast Boy had a magic staff. Only Raven had no clue what she had in her role.

"Ok Beast Boy." Robin said seriously. "It's obvious that you know a lot about this place, so…can you fill us in?"

Beast Boy nodded. "We're in a game right now called 'Danger Quest VII: The Corinthian Principles.' It's like, only the most popular RPG game ever!"

Cyborg shrugged. "Never heard of it."

"Well, in this game, we each take a class." Beast Boy began explaining.

"But I do not see any educational institutions here Friend." Starfire wondered innocently.

"No Star, a class is like your job, like, you're an Archer. Robin's a Thief, Cyborg's a Swordsman, and I'm…."

Beast Boy grinned, twirling his staff skillfully in his one hand and tipping his hat as an exclaimation mark.

"A mage!"

"Great…then how about me?" Raven asked, wondering what kind of class wears sleek skin tight suits with torn robes.

"Uh……you could be anything really Rae…a Necromancer? Or maybe a ninja? We can find out when we train." Beast Boy said.

"Train?" Robin asked.

"Yup, if we want to escape this town, we gotta build up our stats, level up. You know. train." Beast Boy said confidently. "Until we can beat those robots."

Starfire gave a puzzled look and whispered to Robin. "So every time we have ever trained in the tower, we have been building up our…'stats'?"

Robin sighed. "No Starfire, this isn't the same thing. But Beast Boy's right, we can't stay cooped up in this town forever, we gotta figure a way out past those robots."

"Ok Beast Boy, its obvious you and Cy are the video game experts here, this is your call." Robin conceded.

Beast Boy's eyes suddenly lit up, like a little kid receiving candy. "you mean….i get to lead the team!!?" He was so happy that he looked like he was going to shriek in joy.

"Just until we get to Control Freak." Robin said firmly.

"Alright! Ok, Titans, let's head out!" Beast Boy gestured towards the town.

"One question." Raven spoke out.

"Shoot." Beast Boy said confidently.

"How come Starfire and I don't have as much weapons, armor and items as you guys?" Raven said dryly, she was also tempted to say _clothes_ as well, looking at Starfire.

"Easy Rae! It's a video game rule. It's because girls are always much better at defending themselves than guys! Isn't that right Cy?" BB explained, elbowing Cyborg nervously.

"Uh..yay Rae! Of course!" Cyborg grinned.

"I am honored Beast Boy, for giving so much appreciation for our combat skills." Starfire smiled.

Raven sighed. Somehow, she didn't think that was the real reason.

"We're wasting time, let's head to the town." Robin said seriously.

The five titans nodded, and with Beast Boy leading the way, they slowly made their way to the village.

The town was a typical quiet village. The buildings were all cottages that looked as though they were from the middle ages, while the streets were cobbled with stone and filled with crowds of people. Merchants, setting up their trading carts on the side, happily greeted the new visitors, while the other villagers simply stood where they were, chatting away in their own small little groups.

"Alright guys, before we head out, let's stock up on goods. Everyone, look inside your pouches and see how many coins you have."

The Five titans reached into their pouches, and upon finding some gold coins, they all piled them up into one bag. Moments later, they were all standing in front of the merchant in the village, who had hundreds of swords, guns, potions and magical items stocked in his cart.

"Ok, so one hundred….not bad, it could buy us a few potions and ethers." Beast Boy said firmly, although Raven could not believe the absurdity of this situation.

"Why can't we just buy the big stuff?" Cyborg said in annoyance as he saw the giant cyber cannon that was on sale.

"OH?" The Merchant, a fat smiling man with a moustache, pointed at the item. "You mean that artifact? Well, I can give it to you, for a fair price of course."

"What is it?" Cyborg asked.

The Merchant smiled. "That'll be a butterfly net, a rare ambrosia flower, a rusted out toaster, and a magical lamp from the dark bowels of Hades."

"WHAT?!" Cyborg shouted.

Beast Boy pushed Cyborg out of the way. "A few potions will do."

"Ok Beast Boy, now what?" Robin asked.

"There should be a field outside this village, where we can fight some low level monsters. That should be easy enough for us. Plus we can make some money." Beast Boy said happily, the Five titans followed Beast Boy out of the market, and soon, they were heading out of the town into a small clearing.

"How so?" Raven raised an eyebrow.

"It's a proven fact Rae, monsters are forever cursed to walk the Earth with gold they cannot spend. Comes with being Evil I guess." Beast Boy shrugged as he led the Titans away from the village.

Cyborg sighed, pulling out his broad sword impatiently. "Whatever Beast Boy, let's just head over to that field, and chop us up some monster…."

The Five titans entered the field now, and saw the monsters…….

…….Cute little pink blobs with smily faces on them, and cute little caterpillars.

"..butt?" Cyborg widened his eyes in surprise.

"Alright!" Beast Boy grinned. "Titans, let's go!"

Raven gave a confused look on her face. "You've gotta be kidding me…."

Meanwhile, outside the village, the army of mechwarriors were soon joined by squads of black robed ninjas and huge tanks that were supported by mechanical legs, sort of like a giant animal, only this one packed heat. The army formed a semi circle around the village, as if some invisible force stopped them.

The commander of this large army, a droid, stood quietly as a view screen popped up in front of him.

"Report commander." Control Freak shouted through the com link.

"_The enemy are harboring inside the village, we are holding positions until further instructions._"

"WHAT?! Don't you realize that if we don't attack now, they'll have time to level up?" Control Freak shouted furiously.

"_Negative, it is impossible, we cannot attack an unarmed village, however easy that may be. It is against protocol_"

The Villain growled. "I want those Titans, not excuses…we're bad guys, CHEAT!!"

Control Freak pointed his control at the droid, and clicked a button. Seconds later, the droid nodded. "_Roger Roger._"

At that instant, the entire robot, ninja and tank army passed the town borders, and rolled towards town.

Control Freak meanwhile, in his secret dark lair, laughed maniacally.

"Excellent, and while the Titans are distracted….I will have time to prepare for their demise… WAH…Hahahahahahahhahhahahaha!" The villain laughed insanely, as a massive group of shadowy figures gathered behind him.

The Five titans, having spent some time training in the field, walked back into town.

"Booyah. Now that was a good work out." Cyborg smirked. "now let's go cash the loot and get out of this place!"

"O….i do hope that it is the last innocent creature we must destroy." Starfire said sadly.

"Hey, at least we got some items out of it." Beast Boy smirked.

"How does a soup spoon, a "best of david hasselhoff" CD and a banana count as Items?" Raven asked in annoyance.

"Well…they were spinning and flashing! That must mean they were important. Who knows! We might need to use this!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

"Whatever…" Raven sighed.

As they walked into town however, the peaceful mood was suddenly replaced by explosions, screams and running civilians. The Five Titans were confused at first, but then they suddenly found the source of the terror. Mechwarriors and tanks rolled around the street, trampling cottages and carts, while a huge swarm of ninjas jumped from rooftop to rooftop.

"Titans, Go!" Beast Boy shouted, and instantly, the RPG titans attacked.

Cyborg was the first to go, running up to one of the giant mechwarriors.

TARGET LOCKED.

The Mechwarrior attacked, firing its lasers and missiles at Cyborg. But the armored swordsman was quicker, Cyborg swerved left and right, dodging the explosions and lasers, then reaching the Mechwarrior's legs, his swung his sword clean through the gigantic foot.

Before the Mechwarrior even had time to fall, Cyborg was already jumping up, and with a 'Booyah' sliced it clean in half.

The Mechwarrior exploded into a cloud of digital dust, and Cyborg proceeded to the next enemy.

Robin grunted as he jump kicked a ninja in the stomach, dodging two more sword swipes in the process. Reaching into his belt for a dagger, he threw it straight at the ninja, instantly vaporizing him in a cloud of smoke.

Another ninja went behind Robin, but Robin was quicker. A quick flash of light, and a smoke bomb suddenly revealed that the ninja had been magically disarmed, tied to a wooden stake in the ground, and unconscious.

Two tanks rolled down the street, complete with battalions of armed droids.

At the end of the street, stood Starfire, wearing her Amazonian-like armor, while holding the bow in her hand.

Starfire placed an arrow onto the bow now, pulling back the string.

The Tamaranian quickly let the arrow loose, and it hit the tanks with such a massive force that it went through both of them, causing the vehicles to explode. The massive shockwave reverberated through the street, scattering all the droids like toys.

"Oh how joyous! I have done the PWNING!" Starfire jumped for joy in the air.

Then she suddenly stopped. "What strange language did I just say?"

Meanwhile, only a few rooftops away, twenty ninjas, each one armed with swords, formed a circle around Raven.

As they closed in, the Dark robed Titan gave a chant.

"Azarath…Metrion…" Raven reached into her robes.

"Ninja stars." Raven revealed ten Kunai blades, and in an instant, she spun in a full circle, throwing ninja stars and kunais out with pin point accuracy.

Ten ninjas exploded into a cloud of dust, while the remaining ten, undaunted that Raven just took out half their comrades, rushed.

In the crazy sword frenzy, Raven nimbly dodged every sword swipe, back flipping a few feet away from the horde. Three ninjas appeared behind her, raising their blades up and charging.

It was at this moment that Raven reached into her cloak and unsheathed two ninja swords, one in each hand, masterfully parrying all three of the ninjas. A sword swipe reduced a ninja into digital dust. Two ninjas thrusted from both sides, attempting to sandwich Raven between the blades, but the assassin-class Titan side stepped away, trapping the arms of one of the ninjas with her own arm and kicking the other in the face. Five more ninjas rushed in, and Raven took the ninja who's arm she trapped, and swung his sword across two of his friends, vaporizing them instantly. She then threw the ninja into the group, knocking them all back, before dispatching them with her ninja stars.

Within seconds, the remaining ten ninjas exploded into dust, leaving only their swords and masks behind as evidence of their defeat.

Beast Boy meanwhile, was arguing with the merchant, while the rest of the town was burning and in ruins.

"COME ON DUDE! Your village is being attacked and there are giant robots outside your store, can you at least let me BORROW it for a few minutes?"

The fat smiling merchant continued to talk in his friendly tone.

"Yes I realize that a giant Mechwarrior is burning our village down, but I can't let you have this Mechwarrior-Slaying sword for anything less than 5,000 gold." The merchant smiled.

"Don't make me turn you into a kupo!" Beast Boy waved his staff.

A hand grabbed Beast Boy's shoulder. It was Robin.

"Uh, beast boy….we beat the level." Robin said firmly.

Beast Boy turned around, and saw nothing but flaming wreckage of mechwarriors, tanks, and droids litter the streets.

"Aw, I didn't get a chance to do anything. What a rip." The Green Titan said in an irritated and annoyed tone.

"So…what now friends?" Starfire and Cyborg appeared next, while Raven jumped up from the rooftops.

Suddenly, the entire village disappeared, replaced by a black vacant and empty space.

The five titans blinked in confusion.

"So, I guess that's level 1." Raven replied dryly.

Cyborg scratched his head "Um…Where the heck are we?"

"Some universe between games …" Robin wondered out loud.

Beast Boy shrugged, but then he realized what was going on as he watched giant white letters form behind the Titans, spelling out the words…"Please wait…."

Beast Boy grumbled.

"Aw man, we're at the loading screen!"


	41. Game Over Act 2

**LEVEL 2**

The black screen disappeared instantly, and the five titans soon found themselves standing in the middle of a deserted city street. Not that it was like any normal intersection, papers and wreckage strewn the roads, while burning cars and heaps of twisted metal were on the sidewalks. Traffic lights were torn down, windows were smashed and litter was all over the place. It was also night time, although the burning silhouette of the city was still visible even in the darkness.

There was no whisper, not even a sign of life, just the eerie sound flaming wreckage, which illuminated the entire street in an ominous orange light.

"Recognize this game B?" Cyborg said uneasily as he took in the entire scene.

"Barely Cy….I think its called 'They Hunger'" Beast Boy, still in his mage garments, replied cautiously, eyeing his surroundings in case of an attack.

"Who's they?" Raven raised an eyebrow in curiousity, although she honestly didn't want to know the answer.

Suddenly, the atmosphere was cut with a blood curling scream.

"**PLEASE! Don't!! AAAAAAARGGGHHH!"**

Sounds of torn flesh and crunched up bones echoed from the alleyway, sending shivers down the Titans' spines as the scream continued for another few seconds, before being cut short by a sword slice. Seconds later, all the dark alleyways around the titans began glowing, with thousands of red eyes.

"I think we're about to find out…." Robin said seriously, arming himself with his trusty daggers while Raven and Starfire prepared their respective weapons, bows and kunai at the ready.

"This is gonna get ugly." Cyborg unsheathed his sword.

More moans and monstrous roars emerged from the alleyways, as the monsters revealed themselves. There were undead rotting samurai, their flesh peeling away from their faces and bodies as their lifeless eyes gazed hungrily at their next meal. More flashes of light emerged from the alley as other demon ninjas appeared, these ones possessing three cybernetic eyes, along with a blade that was grafted to their arms. The same rotting stench of flesh mixed with steel emerged from these demon ninjas as well. These enemies moved like bugs, crawling all over the walls of the buildings that surrounded the heroes.

"Titans, Go!" Robin shouted, and immediately all five RPG titans attacked.

Raven unleashed a storm of Ninja stars, while Starfire shot her arrows into the massive crowd. Robin rushed forward, slicing the nearest samurai zombie with his daggers while Beast Boy shot a fireball into the stomach of another.

The Samurai's and Ninjas took the punishment, moaning sadistically as they were continually impaled and stabbed by swords and stars, but they kept moving, not even bothering to flinch when an arm came off, or when a hole was sliced through their stomach.

"Our attacks are not doing 'the damage'!" Starfire said with alarm.

"Of course!" Beast Boy slapped his head.

"DUH, we're in a survival horror game. Everyone! Search the rubble next to you!" Beast Boy shouted as he kicked open the door of a nearby crashed car, reaching inside for an item.

Another demon ninja was sent flying by Cyborg, but the decapitated ninja simply put its head back on its shoulders, advancing once again.

"For what?" Raven said impatiently as she dug into a nearby dumpster.

"For THIS!" Beast Boy said triumphantly as he emerged from the car with a brand spanking new **Shotgun**!

Cyborg literally dropped his jaw when he saw this. "But…why would it be lying there?"

"It's a zombie game Cy." Beast Boy shrugged. "Shoot first, shoot later, shoot some more, when everything's dead, THEN ask the question." He smirked as he let a demon zombie eat a full blast of shotgun in the face, digitizing it into dust completely.

"OH! I have found something!" Starfire gasped as she reached into a garbage can, pulling out a rocket launcher straight out of nowhere and blasting a horde of samurai zombies straight into next Wednesday.

Soon, Cyborg and Robin found their respective weapons in a mail box, and they began blasting as well. The entire intersection lit up in gunfire and explosions as blood and zombie guts began spilling.

"This is supposed to be a game?" Raven said, obviously not amused.

"What kind of sick twisted person gets enjoyment out of-"

"WOOOOOOOOOT!" Cyborg shouted as he ripped through a crowd of demon ninjas with a mini-cannon he found. Bullets littered the wall, tearing apart brick and splattering blood all over the street as thousands of empty shells fell onto the ground. The vast force of kinetic energy simply ripped the front ranks of the ninjas into bone, while the rest were torn up like Swiss cheese.

"Whatever." Raven sighed.

The last zombie fell with a groan, and soon, the titans were back to where they started, in a street, now bathed with blood.

**One minute later **

"SO………know to get out of here?" Raven asked, annoyed.

"Yeah! There's a puzzle Raven. We have to get machine parts to jumpstart that tram car over there." Beast Boy pointed to the train just at the end of the road. "And we'll be off to the next level. It's a tricky puzzle, the parts are scattered all over town, we have to go to City Hall, the Park and A family restaurant."

"Why don't we just go to the auto parts store?" Robin asked, slightly confused.

"Where's the fun in that?" Beast Boy replied.

**5 minutes later**

The five titans walked throughout town, collecting the necessary items they needed while at the same time, battling hordes of demon ninjas, mutated spider freaks, and robots.

"Ok, Rae." Beast Boy said seriously as he halted the team at an intersection.

"Me, Cyborg, and Robin will go through that hallway with our big fancy guns and hordes of ammunition, while you and Star, carrying barely anything at all, will go through that dark hallway to see if there's anything dangerous."

"I got a better idea." Raven replied back, grabbing Beast Boy by the collar and throwing him into the darkness.

"AIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Beast Boy screamed.

**10 Minutes later**

"There!" Beast Boy brushed his hands together in triumph as he took time to view his work. The three machine parts were in place, and the tram was ready to go to the next level.

"How glorious friend!" Starfire said joyfully. "And the puzzle was simple once you have explained it to us! All we had to do was get a green gem from the old family restaurant, then retrace our steps back to where we started to get a blue gem, then put it in a clock to open the lock to city hall, where we discovered the statue of the mayor that contained a bronze book. Then with the book we were able to access the power plant, where we got the machine part, Then we had to go back to the fountain in the park to replace the book in a slot so that we may take the bronze compass, so that we may use the bronze compass to put back into the mayor's statue so that it would reveal the car battery we needed to run the train! It was so obvious!" The Tamaranian clapped her hands.

"Man this city has problems." Cyborg scratched his aching head. "And I'm not talking about the flesh eating ninjas."

"Can we go now?" Raven said impatiently, sitting on one of the tram seats.

"ALL ABOARD!" Beast Boy smirked as he pulled the switch, sending the train into the next level.

Meanwhile, deep within the bowels of villain's lair, Control Freak watched as the Titans progressed.

"Well….it seems that one titan knows a little too much about this world." Control freak rubbed his hands together menacingly as he sat behind a dimly lit desk, watching video footage of the titans.

"Let's see how the titans handle this alone. AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Control freak laughed, turning his controller towards BB and zapping the green titan.

**LEVEL 3**

"Alright guys!" Beast Boy laughed as he was the first to enter the world. "Let's start!"

Beast Boy turned around, and found out that he was alone. No one was there.

"Uh….Guys?" Beast Boy said nervously as his voice echoed throughout the darkness.

"What game is this anyway?" The Green titan asked curiously as he looked at his surroundings.

Which was a flat world consisting of several platforms and ladders, where at the top, a solitary monkey stood, along with a mountain of barrels behind him.

"OH COME ON!".

**LEVEL 4**

"Beast Boy? Friend?" Starfire shouted into the darkness. Robin and Cyborg looked around the room, the walls were cold and dank, like some sort of medieval dungeon……

"Great, how're we supposed to know what game this is without B?" Cyborg said

"We'll figure it out ourselves. Beast Boy knows his way around, he should be fine." Robin said. "What's important, is our immediate situation."

Suddenly, a blinding light filled the room as torches on both sides of the hallway flickered too life. The silence was quickly penetrated by a loud monstrous booming voice that shook the entire chamber.

A gigantic monster, almost twelve foot tall with a demonic edge in his eyes, and carrying a large axe, approached the titans. His appearance was dominating, and even his breathing made Cyborg and Robin recoil back in disgust and wariness.

"FOOLS! You have trespassed into the forbidden dungeon! Who among you shall be the first to fall before my blade? Either surrender now, or be destroyed. Either way, your screams shall fill these darkened rooms with anguished cries of mercy which will not be headed and you're friends shall see their fate first hand and cower at the little time they have remaining on this earth!"

"I've heard better." Raven stepped forward, whipping out her ninja swords, as if completely oblivious to the threat the monster posed.

She smiled. And that alone sent shivers down Robin and Cyborg's spine.

"Ever wonder what it feels like to Cr4p out blood?" Ninja Raven smirked.

"Yet more strange fascinating game language…" Starfire observed.

"I think someone's getting a little too much into this game…." Cyborg whispered.

**LEVEL 6 yes I know I skipped 5**

Soldiers by the thousands scoured the compound, running around looking for signs of the intruder, while at the same time reinforcing their positions in preparation for the Titans. Tanks, Jets and helicopters stood by at the ready.

"Ok Beast Boy….. Just stay calm……This is just a game….only a game." The green titan hid behind a wall, dodging more soldiers as they passed.

When the soldiers had passed, Beast Boy peeked outside the base to get a look at the surroundings.

The playing field itself was a small map, composed of two fortresses, each ones on opposite sides.

The computer team, or Control Freak's team, had three hundred tons of reinforced cement and iron plating. Dozens of sentry guns, gatling guns and sniper towers.

While the Titans base, prepared by Control Freak, was a dinky shack in the middle of the desert.

"Why that cheating little…." Beast Boy pounded his fists together. Well, Control Freak was a bad guy after all, he shouldn't have expected a fair fight, but this is just….low.

"Lollerskates!" An enemy officer jumped up as he saw Beast Boy leaning against the wall. "Enemy spotted!"

A grin came on Beast Boy's face as an idea developed in his head and the green titan approached the officer…...

Back in the center of the enemy base, a hologram of Control Freak appeared in the center of the room, where all the enemy officers had gathered.

"_I want no mistakes soldiers! The Titans must not get past this point. I don't care if you have to camp, hack or be cheap to do it! Send forth all our legions and crush them!" _

"YES MIGHTY LEADER! OMGZ LOLZ!" The counter terrorists and soldiers all saluted.

"But sirzz! We all have wall and aim hackzorz….is this….. not performing illegal operation?" One of the soldiers asked.

"_I will make it legal." _

With that, Control Freak laughed again, disappearing from the screen.

Another officer came up now, this one covered in shiny yellow metals and wearing a fine green military suit. The noobs and the soldiers didn't notice however, that the guy's face was also green. After all…don't soldiers modify their skins before battle?

"ALRIGHT YOU MAGGOTS!" the officer shouted out loud at the crowd.

"I've been looking at this plan of yours….and I'm disappointed. I thought you were supposed to be l33t man!" The general said in disappointment.

"But…we followed all of Control Freak's commands sir!" One of the soldiers, a Sniper class, replied.

"Well, we're doing this my way now!" The general said politely. "Anyone got any questions?"

"Ya! Y r we listening to u-"

"GOOD!" The general snapped.

"Alright! Alpha squad!" The general pointed his baton at a group of soldiers in the corner. "You're job will be to proceed to sector 3 on the other side of the map, at which point I will order an air strike on your area. Remember to duck and cover!"

The General turned to the other members of the group.

"Terrorists, I want you to spend all your time constructing an elaborate human pyramid in the middle of the field, and then carving an image of me in the sand with bullet holes. Counter terrorists, I want you all to camp at some remote god forsaken corner of the map and nade spam the Alpha squad, they could use the exercise."

The Counter Terrorists nodded. "Affirmative."

"Squad Green Machine, I want you to whore every vehicle on the map, anything you can get your hands on. Not only tanks, but also jeeps, Humvees and tricycles, and drive around aimlessly. Don't forget to chase some of Alpha squad!"

One of the Alpha squad members, suddenly offended, wanted to say something but the general was already beating him to the punch, poking his belly with his baton.

"LOOK AT THIS MAN! He's tubby! So make him run extra!"

"Everyone else! Proceed to the nearest jet fighter. And you BETTER have no clue how to fly them! Our mission is to bury the enemy under our flaming wreckage, I want to see craters! And smoking bodies!"

The pilots raised a hand for questioning, but the general interrupted.

"And for your convenience! I've provided each of you with top gun sound tracks. Sing with me! HIGHWAY TOOOO DA DANGER ZONE!"

"AHEM…." The general coughed. "Any questions?"

A soldier raised his hand. "But sir…how about us….."

The General sighed. "…fine, Pyros, go nuts."

"W00t!"

**Five seconds later**

A Giant explosion destroys complex

Beast Boy: My work is done

**BACK TO LEVEL 4…Somehow**

Cyborg slashed away at the next enemy, a giant Venus fly trap monster with plant tentacle arms. Before vaporizing into digital dust, the monster let out one last inhuman roar as it collapsed, throwing up more gold coins and items to Cyborg.

"Hey Cyborg! That was mine! Quit hogging all the exp!" Robin said rather annoyingly.

"Yo man, that was my kill! Not my fault you puny little thing you call a dagger can't cut its way out of a paper bag!" Cyborg retorted back.

"Why I oughta…" Robin shook his fist violently.

"It seems that being in this world for extended periods of time has affected our friend's behaviour. Wouldn't you say so Friend Raven?" Starfire turned to Raven, who, to her surprise, was crouching quietly in a corner, as if stalking a prey.

"Shh….quiet Star, I'm trying to bag the legendary rare Yojimbo for more gold coins."

Starfire watched in amazement as her friends took in their roles so seriously. The Tamaranian simply shrugged….

"Does anyone notice that….the rooms are all the same. The only difference is that the monsters get bigger, slimier and harder to fight as we go?" Cyborg, quickly forgetting his feud with Robin, asked as the Titans recollected themselves.

"We should be done the level soon anyway." Robin nodded. "Let's go."

Raven was in the lead, while the other three followed. The titans walked quietly down a dark hall, its stones and torches looking exactly identical to the room they first entered when they reached this level.

The four titans walked on, and Raven went into another room. As expected, there were even more monsters than the last room. But these monsters were huge, towering at leas two stories high. From giant man eating plants to robotic monstrosities, the thousands of monsters in the dungeon room glared viciously at Raven as if they wanted to devour her right there. Aside from the huge monsters, the floors of the room were booby trapped with spike and lava pits, while the walls had menacing blades coming in and out of them, making it easy for any foolish intruder who gets too close to lose an arm.

"Hey, Rae….what do you see?" Cyborg whispered.

"Experience points."

Control Freak spat the soda he was enjoying as he saw the charred ruins of his base and soldiers burning on what was left of Level 6. Somehow, that green freak had managed to not only skip two levels, but also remove an obstacle from the Titans path…

That green rut would pay…..

"Sir." A robotic droid reported to Control Freak.

"WHAT?!" The villain said in an annoyed tone.

"The titans have passed level 4 sir. It would appear the dungeon has been destroyed."

"It makes no difference my puny minion…..it is time to send them to….the 64 bit world!"

"Roger roger…"

Robin, Cyborg, Starfire, and Raven suddenly found themselves teleported back to the next level, which looked eerily like Titans tower. But for some strange reason…it felt…different.

"Hey ya'll! We got our powers back!" Cyborg rejoiced as he turned his arm into a sonic cannon, very glad to lose the armor that kept weighing him down.

"Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos." Raven tried an experiment chant. "Finally…"

"Um friends….but something is still….different." Starfire said.

"Star's right." Robin concurred. "Something just doesn't feel ri-"

"PREPARE TO BE DESTROYED TITANS!" Four shadowy figures appeared in front of the Titans, all ready to fight. In the darkness, they could not see who they were.

Raven instantly gauged the opponents, then turned back to Starfire and Robin.

"I'll take the three tall ones and fight them on the roof. You fight them here." Raven said rather confidently.

"But Raven…Three against one? Is it not better if we fight at the same time?" Starfire asked.

"Don't worry guys, I got one of Beast Boy's items that will do the trick." Raven nodded.

"Alright Rae, good luck." Cyborg nodded.

Raven teleported to the rooftop now, and with her, went the three large shadowy villains.

"Enough talking!" The remaining video game villain shouted. "I'll challenge any one of you to a fight! ONE ON ONE!"

"Bring it on." Robin, instantly volunteering, stepped up to the plate.

**Meanhile, on the Rooftop**

(copy and paste and add the tt and also put a period between the spaces for the link to the comics!)

Hp://www deviantart com/deviation/31484748/?qo14&qby3Adeathscythevii&qhsort3Atime+-in3Ascrap

Hp://members shaw ca/Kambiu/Comic1 jpg

hp://members shaw ca/Kambiu/Comics jpg

hp://members shaw ca/Kambiu/Comic3 jpg

The level suddenly dissipated now, and the five titans once again found themselves in a new setting. This time, they were all sitting on seats in a military aircraft. Their regular uniforms were gone, replaced by military fatigues and camouflage gear.

"Alright team!" A military officer at the doorway of the plane shouted above the roar of the engines to the Titans. "Your mission is to infiltrate this base, destroy the enemy's prototype weapon, and make it back here safely with any useful information."

"Alright! Cool!" Beast Boy, wearing a stealth suit with high tech laser vision goggles, clapped happily. "This is one of my favourite games!"

"What's the plan?" Robin asked the military officer seriously.

"We'll proceed undetected in our stealth aircraft, when we reach the base, we'll drop you on the outermost part of the fortress, and from there, you can sneak inside and fulfill the mission."

"But…if this plan is so high tech and stealthy and all, can't you drop us off inside the base so that our job is well…you know..easier?" Cyborg asked.

"Look son…" The officer walked right up to Cyborg and shoved his badge into Cyborg's face.

"What does this say? BOY?" The officer shouted.

"Navy….seal?" Cyborg squinted.

"That's right sucka, and I've been soldiering while you were still in the crib. Now who do you think is more qualified soldier here?" The soldier's voice was icy, like steel.

"you?" Cyborg said quietly.

"Good man. Besides, there's nothing to worry about. This is a routine mission. Happens all the time." The soldier said comfortingly.

"OH man, we're so dead." Beast Boy said urgently.

"Why?" Raven asked. "The guy said it was a routine mission."

"That's the thing. In video games, routine missions ALWAYs go wrong!"

"NOW be good little marines and jump!!" The soldier pulled the switch. And just then, the seats under the titans opened up into holes, and all five heroes were sent falling down onto the island base, screaming.

"REMEMBER!" THe soldier shouted from the plane. "ITS NOT THE FALL. ITS THE SUDDEN STOP!"

---

**Comic: naruto vs robin by **Cadaverous  
Sprites From: DEEKMAN


	42. Game Over ACt 3 Pt 1

**Level 7**

Outside the main compound of the enemy base, two soldiers, dressed in Arctic warfare camouflage uniforms did their rounds in a snowy field, patrolling back and forth. Both were armed with rifles, and donned black ski masks.

Suddenly, one of the soldiers looked on the ground, "Whose footprints are these?"

The other soldier shrugged. "Let's follow them."

The two soldiers diligently went to their work, walking in a neat circle as the footprints led to nowhere.

"You know….it doesn't look like they are going anywhere." One soldier said.

"Well, the boss wants us to follow any footprints, so we follow the footprints!" The soldier replied back.

The partner shrugged, then suddenly looked up. "You hear something?"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

A loud crash completely obliterated the two soldiers, as a giant mass fell from the sky, digging a huge crater into the ground.

"Well, that was most unpleasant." Starfire said, brushing the snow off the sleeves of her camouflage gear.

"Yo dudes, check it out!" Beast Boy smirked as he placed green nightvision goggles over his head. "I'm Solid Snake." The Green titan triumphantly did a cool stealth pose.

The rest of the titans however, just stared at him silently.

"Can we fire Beast Boy into the fort?" Raven asked.

"No, the world will never forgive us for that." Cyborg replied.

"You do realize I can hear you?" Beast Boy said, slightly annoyed.

"Let's focus Titans." Robin said seriously. "The guy said we got to infiltrate that base and destroy a weapon to pass this level."

The Five Titans looked at the base now, which was heavily fortified with reinforced concrete and cement plating. Watchtowers and spotlights scoured the perimeter on the grounds, giving light to the gatling gun and sniper emplacements on the walls. Added to that, was the dozens of soldiers who patrolled the gates and walls, each one armed to the teeth with assault rifles.

"So….what did the navy guy give us?" Cyborg asked curiously.

At that instant, every Titan reached into their gear.

"A tranquilizer pistol." Robin said.

"I still have my ninja sword." Raven waved it out triumphantly.

"Banana?" Beast Boy confusingly as he pulled out the two items he had, the one he got back from level one.

"And I have…..a box of rations." Cyborg sighed.

"Do not despair friends!" Starfire said cheerfully. "For I have my own weapon!"

The Four Titans turned and saw that Starfire was carrying an RPG-7 Mark II. A reloadable, shoulder-fired, muzzle-loaded, recoilless antitank and antipersonnel rocket propelled grenade launcher that launches fin-stabilized, oversized rocket - assisted HEAT grenade (85-mm in the PG-7 version) from a smooth bore 40mm tube.

"How does that work?!" Cyborg shouted.

"Whatever guys, the main point of this game is stealth." Beast Boy whispered quietly. "We gotta sneak into the base through the back door, and avoid the guards, and fight the secret elite team of bad guys in there one at a time."

"That'll take hours though!" Robin said.

Beast Boy shrugged. "That's how its done in Video games."

"Whatever," Raven stood up, taking her ninja sword with her. "You guys go in the back, I'll just walk through the front door."

"Um…aren't you forgetting the hundreds of tanks, snipers, and guns there?" Cyborg asked.

"I'll be sure to keep an eye out." Raven said calmly as she walked on, disappearing through the thick blizzard as she made her way towards the fort.

"Think she'll be ok?" Cyborg asked.

"Are you kidding me?" Beast Boy exclaimed. "This is the first time I've felt sorry for the bad guys."

EMERGENCY! RED ALERT! INTRUDER SPOTTED!

Red alarms blared throughout the facility, accompanied by flashing red lights and wailing sirens. Teams of soldiers and snipers began running to the walls. The whole facility was awash with activity as every entrance and building was fortified. Roads leading to the fort were barricaded with tanks and upturned vehicles, while barbed wire and obstacles were strewn throughout the perimeter.

As the soldiers hunkered down, one of them saw a figure approach through the snows. She wore a sleek stealth suit, with night vision goggles and heavy gear.

The soldier kept watching as the girl approached the fort, stopping just short of the soldier's defenses.

"I want to enter your fort, open the door." Raven said seriously.

One of the soldiers, a captain, shouted down to Raven from the walls.

"And if we don't?"

Raven pulled out her sword.

"Then I'll just open it myself."

The soldier laughed "This fort is defended by 5,000 of my best snipers, campers, grenade spammers and hackers. You'll have to take us all if you want to get in."

At that instant, a flash whipped through the snow, followed by a quick scream. All the soldiers gasped as they saw the captain was vaporized into digital dust as a ninja star sliced clean through him.

Raven took her sword, dragging its blade on the ground as she approached the fort.

"One……."

Back in the bowels of Control Freak's lair meanwhile, the villain watched in amazement as the horror at the front gates continued.

"This is unacceptable! How can the Titans be winning!?"  
"The enemy is quite skilled sir." The droid assistant remarked.

"Never! I'm the master of video games, I created this world specifically so that I would be in control!" Control Freak pounded his chest violently. "If there is anything the Titans will be doing here, it is two things, Jack and Shi-"

"SIR!" The droid suddenly shouted.

"What?!" Control Freak replied back.

"This is a PG-13 Fanfic, we're not allowed to use foul language that might potentially affect the young minds of innocent children. We video games get blamed enough as it is."

"But I'm evil! Can't I use it at least a little? All the cool movies and TV shows that kids have more access to everyday watch it!"

"Nope, sir…sorry." The droid said sadly.

"Fine….." Control Freak sighed. "Then PREPARE MY TRANSPORT, I shall go down there and take care of those Titans myself."

"Roger. Roger."

As more explosions rocked the outside of the compound, two more soldiers stood guard inside the fort.

"Man, it's so freezing out there. I'm glad I don't have to patrol outside." The guard said to his buddy.

"Yup, I mean, look at that poor cardboard box over there!" He pointed to a soaked up box that said 'bananas' on its label. "It's so cold its sneezing."

"Poor thing, all cold and scared." The other guard commented as they walked away.

At that moment, Beast Boy and his team emerged from the box. "Well, that was easy enough, we're almost at the storage room."

Before the Titans could even take another step however, a huge figure carrying a machine gun walked into the hallway.

"Hello, I'm your mandatory mini-boss fight." The big muscled man gave a hellish grin. "So prepare to be destroyed."

"Funny, I don't remember there being one here." Beast Boy remarked.

"You cannot defeat me!" The heavy soldier boss laughed. "I've been trained in fifteen different styles of combat, grew up on the battlefield, and I eat ARBYS for breakfast!"

"Dude, are we fighting, or going over your life's story?" Beast Boy said impatiently.

The mini-boss gave a surprised look. "Well, I'm supposed to give you anecdotes as we fight, then at the end, when you beat me, I give you a tear jerking story about how tragic circumstances in my life forced me into being the person I am today."

"Sorry, but we really got to move on." Robin said.

"But….But…." The mini-boss whimpered.

"If you're trained in fifteen different styles of combat, why are you using a gun to fight us?" Cyborg asked.

"I…..DON'T know!" The machine gunner broke into tears.

"No offense dude, but that kind of stuff is for, you know, real bosses?"

"But, I really am one! I mean, come on! I help make this game more interesting don't I?" The man was near tears.

"Do not feel bad Mister. I shall console you." Starfire said quietly, patting the crying boss on the back and listening to his woes.

"I mean…mini bosses are just as important as real bosses too!" The mini-boss cried as he talked to Starfire.

"Whatever, let's move on, this is too weird, even for me." Beast Boy said.

The Titans made their way to the central courtyard, where this heavy weapon was stored. And to their surprise, they saw Raven there as well.

"So….how did the front door thing go?" Cyborg asked.

"Good." Was all that Raven said.

Suddenly, the entire ground started to shake, as a secret silo door opened up from underneath the titans. The five heroes stepped back and saw a huge robot emerge from the facility. It was armed to the teeth with neutron bombs, shoulder mounted laser cannons and Vulcan cannons on each arm.

But the biggest surprise was the pilot, who was visible through the cockpit at the head of this mech.

Control Freak.

"GREETINGS TITANS, Meet **Metal Gear Chaioth Ha Qadesh**

It has a missile launcher on its back, and can fire bullets from the Vulcan Cannons on each of its arms, it can fire nukes, neutron lasers and the kitchen sink!" Control freak grinned. "I have to admit, I had underestimated you Titans, but the END IS NOW!"

As Metal Gear Chaioth Ha Qadesh (try saying THAT very fast:S) roared to life, the Titans scattered, all of them ducking behind some wreckage as missiles, lasers and bombs exploded around them.

All of them, except Beast Boy, who stood confidently in front of Control Freak's mech.

"What's this? The Green one already giving up? Good, this will make this a whole lot easier." Control Freak cackled insanely as he aimed his neutron cannon at Beast Boy.

"Say goodbye!" Control Freak pressed the trigger.

Nothing happened.

"What?!" Control Freak pressed the trigger again, and again, and again, but still nothing happened.

Then the Metal Gear exploded.

A huge ball of orange light engulfed the base, raining debris and robot parts underneath a nuclear mushroom cloud, and the Titans were left in bewilderment at what had just transpired.

"Ok Beast Boy, I'll bite." Cyborg said in astonishment. "How did you do it?"

"Shoved a banana up it's tail pipe when Control Freak was making his speech." Beast Boy said proudly.

**LEVEL 8**

It was high noon in the desert on the outskirts of Jump City, with the sun blazing fiercely in the clear blue sky. The desert itself was barren, void of all life save for a few tumbleweeds that were tossed around by the rolling dry winds. Other noticeable landmarks were the small clusters of rock and cacti that sprawled the arid ground.

Cutting through the middle of all this, was a thin black stretch of highway, which led out of the city, towards the distant mountains on the horizon. It was a peaceful scene, quiet and tranquil.

That was, until the motors started.

A monstrous roar echoed through the landscape as a cloud of dust zipped its way across the highway stretch. Through the smoke, a red hover car emerged, similar to the ones from the many racing games that Beast Boy and Cyborg had played.

"Time to lighten the mood." Control Freak cackled, pressing a button on his dashboard. A mechanical arm took a CD from a nearby compartment, and soon, the villain's stereo came to life with a series of hip tunes.

Before he could even relax however, another engine sound emerged behind him, and before Control Freak could even turn around to investigate the source. A hover bike had zipped alongside him. That wasn't all, accompanying the red motorcycle was a blue and white car, with a very modern and futuristic look to it.

"Pull over!" Robin shouted harshly to Control Freak.

"You'll have to catch me first stinking Titans!" Control Freak laughed.

The three cars swerved left and right as they went alongside the road. Cyborg, trying to run the villain off the road, quickly edged his car towards Control Freaks hyper racer. All this happened as the sound of tires skidding on the road cut through the air.

Eventually, the speeding cars entered into another section of the desert, where the road was flanked on both sides by tall rocky cliffs. Cyborg, taking advantage of the change in scenary, swerved left again to try and squeeze the villain between his car and the rocky face cliff that edged the road.

"Time to show these Titans what it means to really go fast! Prepare the ship for Ludicrous speed!" Control Freak smirked as he pressed a button, putting a space ship-like glass dome over his cockpit.

"Preparing for Ludicrous speed sir." The Robotic droid, who suddenly appeared to man the controls next to Control Freak, repeated.

"Engage Ludicrous speed!" Control freak pointed forward!

"Roger Roger. Engaging Lucrous speed!" The droid replied.

"HEEHEE…so cool!!" Control freak giggled as his car raced forward, spouting a set of twin engines that completely blazed his car on.

"Oh no you don't!" Cyborg said sternly. He pushed a button on his console and soon, the outside of the T-hyper car began transforming. The hood opened up to reveal a double set of rocket launchers, while the headlights quickly folded out and turned into lasers.

"Boo yah!" Cyborg shouted, and on cue, all the weapons on the T-hyper car came to life.

The roadside quickly became peppered with laser fire and explosions, each of them missing Control Freak, who swerved left and right to avoid the blasts while turning a corner.

"HAHA give it up ya stinking Titans! In here! I'm the master!" Control Freak pointed his remote at the road behind him, instantly spawning five other hover cars, armed with weapons. The hover cars did a 180 degree turn, and aimed all their weapons at Robin's hover bike and Cyborg's car.

Cyborg growled, gripping the wheel in his hand while a shocked Starfire and Raven sat in the back seat.

"I may lose to Robin in this game, but NOT TO YOU!" Cyborg flipped a switch, which revealed a big red button.

"BOOST TIME!" Cyborg pressed the button.

The rockets on the T-Hyper car came to life, and soon, the Titans completely blasted their way through Control Freak's cronies. Flaming wreckage and car parts flew all over the track as Cyborg literally just plowed through them.

It was so fast, that he was leaving fire tracks in the concrete road. Before anything could happen, the Cyborg's car plowed into a rock formation, forming a neat little hole through it before speeding off into the distance, passing Control Freak, and the Finish line.

"AW YEAH! Who's da man!" Cyborg shouted triumphantly. "Cy's da man!"

"Um, Cyborg." Robin said to the Titan over the communicator.

"What?"

"Control Freak escaped."

"Oh…Right, that." Cyborg said innocently. "My mistake."

**LEVEL 9**

The next level, was not what the Titans had expected.

Instead of zombies, robots, commandos, or space pirates. There was…..

A cute little kitty cat character playing mini golf.

"This….is level 9?" Raven asked sarcastically.

"So, we have to play that….cat in mini golf?"

"OOOOOO!" Starfire jumped up high in excitement. "I know this sport!"

Joyfully, she ran up to the sunny Kitty Cat character, and took a golf putt. Without even thinking, she swung it wildly, and soon the golf ball flew wildly into the air.

The Golf ball, plus the mound of earth which the Kitty was standing on, since Starfire accidentally dug her putter into the ground. Soon, ball, earth mound and kitty, were flying into the air, disappearing over the horizon.

Moments later, a doorway appeared in front of them, with the words "FINAL LEVEL" written on the entrance.

"Well, that was easy enough." Raven said.

"So, let's go to the final level." Robin replied, taking a step forward to open the door.

"Wait guys!" Beast Boy pulled the two back, and pointed at a clearing, this one, resembling the one they had seen in the first level.

"Look! There's a place with even more monsters there!" Beast Boy used the word 'monsters' loosely, as they were still little bunny rabbits and cute animals.

"Beast Boy, shouldn't we just go on to the next level? We've been through this before."

"Trust me guys, I know what I'm doing." Beast Boy smirked.

**LEVEL 10**

The Five titans walked through the doorway now, and the Tenth level was the most exotic one yet. Instead of any setting, it resembled the inside of a computer. With glowing computer grids outlining everything, every step, every structure in this world seemed to be just like it.

Standing in the center of this universe, was Control Freak.

"Hello Titans, welcome to the final level, I was wondering what took you so long. And WOW, Do you know how boring it is to sit in a room all game waiting for you heroes to come? Being a last boss stinks."

"We're taking you in Control Freak." Robin said. "This game's over."

"HAH, you still have to beat my ultimate level! And believe me Titans, this will be your LAST level." Control Freak said triumphantly.

"In any case, You are probably wondering what the last boss is…..So I'll show you." He took out his remote, the reality warp-a-tron 5000.

"Last time it was five against one, and I only used three TV characters, so this time, I won't make that mistake."

The Five Titans watched in amazement as Control Freak aimed his remote at the ground, suddenly zapping in dozens and dozens of shadowy figures. Characters from every video game imaginable, of every shape and size.

"Prepare for your doom titans, for WE. ARE. LEGION." Control Freak laughed insanely.

(fill in the "tt" and dots)

Hp://img photobucket com/albums/v314/TreizeV/VgvillainsGameovercopy jpg

"Wow….so cool." Beast Boy said in awe.

Raven slapped Beast Boy's head.

"Oh Right…..this is bad dudes..…..REAL BAD."

**Stay tuned for the conclusion of GAME OVER**


	43. Game Over Act 3 Conclusion

**THE FINAL LEVEL**

The five titans, now back to their RPG costumes from level one, watched Control Freak's growing army uneasily. As Starfire took out her bow, and Cyborg unsheathed his sword, Robin did a quick head count of the adversaries facing them, it didn't take long for him to lose track of the many faces in the crowd, mechs, zombies with rocket launchers, ninjas, dragons, sorcerers and many more.

Control Freak gave another smug laugh.

"You know Titans, you were right last time. Bad Guys always lose, in television, in comic books, and in cartoons, but here it is different." The villain said confidently.

"In video games, bad guys can win. It's an equal playing field." Control Freak said sinisterly, rubbing his hands together in anticipation, as if no force on Earth could stop his impending victory.

Then, the villain pointed straight at the Titans, like a general directing his troops on the battlefield.

"ZERG RUSH!" He cackled evilly.

By that time, Robin was already charging. "TITANS! Go!"

Both sides collided in an orgy of explosions, sword swipes and gunfire.

Cyborg was the first to attack, matching swords with a dual sword wielding black knight. Sparks flew as the blades connected, forcing both opponents to take steps back as they gauged their own speeds. Another enemy, this one a Covenant Elite Alien (From HALO the game), wearing Cybernetic armor and wielding the energy sword, didn't give Cyborg a chance to rest and dove straight at him with a roar. The Titan instinctively jumped in the air, letting the alien slice right through the black knight, and vaporizing him into dust.

The Alien, growling even more, jumped for Cyborg.

Robin meanwhile, was face to face with Sephiroth, the video game villain with long flowy hair, and a sword that was taller than him. The boy wonder himself, was armed only with the two daggers he had as a thief.

Sephiroth was the first to move, conjuring a golden orb of energy into his palm and blasting it towards Robin. Robin ran forward, doing a quick flip to dodge the blast while narrowly avoiding the villain's giant blade as it swung at him.

Starfire meanwhile, was locked in her own duel with Dark Samus and Mother Brain, the freaky alien android that had a gigantic brain for a head. Dodging the laser blasts, the Tamaranian took half a dozen arrows from her quiver, and quickly fired them at her assailants. Dark Samus transformed herself into a ball to avoid the attack, but Mother Brain took all of Starfire's arrows, and within seconds, was vaporized into digital dust.

"WHAT?! You can't do that!" Control Freak said in exasperation as he saw the Titans effortlessly take on the initial wave of villains. He took his remote controller out now, and started urging more villains into the fight.

Beast Boy meanwhile, was up against Kurt Zisa, a gigantic Shivan Mech with six mechanical arms, two of them wielding large scythe-like blades. The boss towered over Beast Boy, standing at least three stories tall.

"Thundaga!" Beast Boy pointed his mage's staff at the monster, firing a huge bolt of lightning at the mech. The blast however, bounced right off the mech's armor.

"HAH!" Control Freak laughed at Beast Boy's attempt. "Good luck with that! Kurt Ziza's special ability allows him to cancel magic. If you had found the secret boss level in Kingdom Hearts, you would have known that! Prepare to be sliced!"

Beast Boy shrieked in terror as he jumped to avoid the twirling mech blades. But suddenly, the gigantic boss stopped dead in its tracks. A brilliant flash of steel cut through the air, revealing Raven in her Ninja form kneeling right in front of the monster.

Within seconds, Kurt Zisa's arms fell off, and the rest of his body followed suit, crumbling into pieces of dust and scrap.

"Twenty two." Ninja Raven counted off in her head. 

"Rae! Look out behind you!" Beast Boy shouted, pointing behind Raven, where Bowser (From Super Mario) and A Hydralisk (from Starcraft) rushed her. The Hydralisk drooled insanely as it raised its sharp claws out to strike, while Bowser spun inside his spiked shell, looking to impale Raven on it.

"I know kung fu….." Raven said slyly, pulling out another sword and throwing one of them at the Hydralisk, impaling its body. Then she took her free sword, and using it as a baseball bat, sliced at Bowser's shell, sending him flying into the next dimension.

"And you don't." Raven finished off with a grin.

Meanwhile Control Freak, after witnessing Robin take down Sephiroth with a judo throw, was not happy.

"This isn't supposed to be happening!" The villain screamed. "Stop cheating!"

"STARS…….." Nemesis, the zombie boss from Resident Evil, groaned lowly as he made his way towards Cyborg, Rocket Launcher in his hand. He was a tall dapper fellow in a trench coat, with a face of twisted flesh and organs that only a mother could love.

"Huh?" Cyborg, just fresh from finishing off the Covenant Elite with a sword stab, turned around to see his latest assailant, who was aiming a rocket launcher straight at his face.

"Uh oh." The Titan had no time to dodge.

"STARS……" Nemesis growled again, and fired the rocket, only to have it explode in mid air as another missile intercepted it.

"Huh?" Cyborg said in puzzlement, wondering where that second missile came from.

Through the smoke, both combatants turned to see Starfire, carrying her ususal RPG-7 Mark II, still smoking in her hands.

"Time to open the can of Butt Whoop!" The Tamaranian said gleefully, rushing straight at the zombie boss, decking him out with one quick punch. Nemesis staggered back, and Starfire jumped up to impossible heights, landing right on his head and jumping again, all the while doing a flip. Taking an arrow from her quiver, she strung it up and fired an arrow straight into Nemesis' skull, completely vaporizing him into nothing.

Cutman (from the megaman games) and Bomberman were up next. One already charging Robin with scissors in his hands and head (GASP), and bomberman kicking his lethal projectiles at the Boy Wonder.

Robin rushed forward, and with a spin kick, knocked the bomb back to Bomberman, which blew him into next week, before cutting the scissors off of Cutman's head with his dagger. Both video game villains were down in seconds.

"One hundred and twenty one…..One hundred and twenty two…." Raven rolled the numbers from her head as she quickly dispatched Dr. Wily (From Megaman) and A dancing guy in a white robotic suit.

M. Bison, the ultimate evil of Street Fighter, gave a cocky laugh, and launched himself straight at Raven, intent on completely pulverizing her with a flip kick.

M. Bison landed seconds later, his leg stuck on Raven's sword. A look of embarrassment went over his face right before he exploded into dust.

"One Hundred and Twenty three"

Ultimecia, the most powerful sorceress of FFVIII attacked next, casting a magical blast that was so large, even Raven didn't have time to dodge it.

"STOP!" Beast Boy waved his wand out, and right on cue, the entire blast wave froze in its tracks. The sorceress barely had time to respond as she was sent to another dimension by Beast Boy's Fire ball. More explosions filled the entire level as the titans systematically cut through Control Freak's massive army.

"Man…if this was a game, I'd say we were playing it on Easy mode." Cyborg said smugly.

Three ghosts, each one bathed in a different color, suddenly approached Cyborg.

"BOO YAH!" The mechanical hero cheered as he turned and swiped his sword straight at the ghosts, but his attack did nothing to stop them. They were invincible.

"Cyborg! Catch!" Beast Boy threw an object at Cyborg, who caught it in confusion.

"A Banana? Beast Boy this ain't time for fooling around!" Cyborg replied back.

Beast Boy, who was busy dodging laser blasts from a liquid villain called Chaos, quickly told Cyborg. "Just eat it dude! Trust me!"

"Ok," Cyborg shrugged. "Whatever." Cyborg gulped down the fruit, and seconds later, the ghosts, for no reason whatsoever, turned blue with fear.

"AW YEAH! Let's get it on!" Cyborg the barbarian shouted as he sliced clean through the now-vulnerable ghosts.

Raven meanwhile, after slicing Ganondorf in two, quickly met a new opponent, A ghost like figure with a skull head and a foreboding scythe. It was Death himself.

That did not deter Raven, who skillfully impaled the monstrosity with her samurai sword. Death gave an anguished inhuman scream as he toppled to the ground.

"Two Hundred." Raven counted off as she kicked Psycrow in the face, knocking the Earthworm Jim villain into next week.

"Count again!" Control Freak laughed, and Raven turned to see Death slowly rise up, the gaping wound left in him miraculously healing as the video game villain continued its advance towards Raven.

"You can't kill something without a soul!" Control Freak said triumphantly. "Let's see you stop that!"

"Fair enough." Raven said smugly, before she took her remaining sword and slammed it straight into Death's chest. She did it with so much force that she pushed Death back against a wall, impaling it against the surface. With a twist of the blade, Death let out another inhuman scream, and died.

Then respawned, but Raven gave the sword another twist, and so he died again. After a few moments, Death revived, then screamed, and died again.

Ninja Raven took a step back to admire her creative handiwork.

"That's for messing up my count." Raven said dryly.

"No fair! No Fair!" Control Freak complained as the five titans continued cutting through the group of video game characters to reach him. 

"Get em Rex!" the villain cackled, and suddenly, the five titans stopped in their tracks as missiles landed right before their path, blasting a huge wall of rubble and destruction before them. 

Through the smoke, was Metal Gear Rex, A giant biped mech with mounted railguns, anti-tank missiles, and machine guns.

"Let's get back to the basics." Control Freak laughed.

Before Rex could do anything however, it, like the rest of the video game villains, was quickly dispatched as a missile came out of nowhere, completely trashing the robot as it exploded into a huge mushroom cloud.

Starfire, still holding her RPG-7 Mk. II, gave a proud and triumphant smile.

"Wow Star, you took out that thing in one shot, must be worth a lot of points." Cyborg commented. 

"Um…What are points?" Starfire asked inquisitively. 

Robin walked up to the two titans now, and they all focused on the last remaining bad guy. Control Freak.

The villain looked furious, and control freak angrily took out his controller from his vest.

"You got lucky this time Titans, but don't think you can win in MY world!" Control freak laughed.

Robin quickly pounced on Control Freak, but to his surprise, the villain simply zapped him away as if they were nothing. A huge wall of kinetic force pushed Robin back against the wall.

"AHHH!" Robin shouted as he was slammed against the wall.

Cyborg and Starfire had less luck, as Control Freak used his stolen kung fu moves from the last episode to attack. Cyborg was met with a swift upper cut through the chin, while Starfire's rockets and arrows were cancelled out by a huge energy beam that simply destroyed all those projectiles in mid air, knocking back the Tamaranian.

Now, it was just Beast Boy and Control Freak.

"AH, if it isn't my only worthy adversary in this world." Control Freak gave a mocking laugh. "Prepare to meet your doom."

"Yo dude!" Beast Boy stepped forward now, pointing straight at the villain. "You gotta stop this, you're dealing with forces you can't possibly ….um…deal with! COPYRIGHT LAWS!"

"HAH!" Control Freak gave a sinister laugh. "Of course I know that idiot! The best thing about being a villain is that you can break all the copyright laws you want. So Cartoon Network can just choke on it, I'm bringing in the best of the best!"

"You could get us cancelled!" Beast Boy shouted indignantly.

"I KNOW, and that was my plan all along! Cause you see, either way I will finally defeat the Titans!! WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" Control Freak laughed insanely.

"I've seen evil things before…but this is just sick." Beast Boy said in outrage.

"And what are you going to do about it?" Control Freak sneered. "All you got is that stupid staff, but I'll be fair. Let's fight like real gamers. No weapons, no special items, no one remote to control them all, just you and me, mono a mono and our gamer skills!" Control Freak threw away his remote, and to Beast Boy's surprised, assumed a karate pose.

Beast Boy, seeing Control Freak challenge his video game skills, couldn't refuse. He threw away his staff. 

"Let's dance."

The two opponents faced off eye to eye now, in the middle of the blazing carnage of destruction and death that was level 10. For the two combatants, it seemed as though time had stopped. An ominous wind blew through the burning remains of video game bosses, weapons and items, and throughout the computer world, there was at last…silence.

"Did I mention, I am skilled at…...lying!?" Control Freak laughed as he pulled out a blaster gun from his pocket, and he quickly aimed it at Beast Boy, blasting him with a powerful electric surge. Beast Boy stepped back in pain.

"You good guys always fall for this trick." Control Freak laughed.

"No……" The Green Titan grunted as he staggered back. He felt the energy zapped right out of him as the green electricity wrapped around his body. His legs gave way, and soon, Beast Boy found himself helpless on the ground. 

"You fool! You should know better than to challenge me! Control Freak! The undisputed master of this universe and every video game in existence! Soon, the rest of the planet will join you in defeat as I take my army into the real world!"

He knelt before Beast Boy, as if to savour this moment. "Let this be a final lesson to you my green chum, why bad guys win at video games. Evil always wins, because evil cheats!"

Suddenly, a section of the wall in the level caved in, and the body of a droid exploded out, hitting the other side of the level with a satisfying crash as it uttered its last 'roger..roger…'.

Through the smoke, with two gleaming swords, was Ninja Raven.

"Wanna bet?" Raven said icily, then with inhuman precision, she tossed a sword into the air, and spin kicked it straight at Control Freak.

Control Freak gave a smug laugh. "You dare oppose me! Wielder of…THE ONE REMOTE TO CONTROL THEM ALL?!" The villain pulled out his ultimate weapon, the reality warp-a-tron 5000, which as crafted by ancient Japanese programmers, forged with the radiation of CTR monitors and hundreds gallons of Jolt cola, imbuing its user with powers beyond human comprehension.

"Hehe…always carry a spare." Control Freak laughed.

With a powerful blast, the sword dissolved in midair, and soon, Control Freak charged at Ninja Raven, who, exhausted after the long battle, fell helplessly to the villain's punch.

"No….we lost." Beast Boy grunted as he saw the rest of his unconscious team mates on the ground. 

"WAHAHAHAHA! That's right" Control Freak, sensing his victory, joyfully picked up the battered Ninja Raven by the neck. 

"Cool costume, I'll be sure to write a fanfic on it after I crush your pathetic team. FINALLY! I have bested the teen titans! Even you! Raven! The coolest and most powerful Titan of them all should know that! I thought you had more sense than to participate in this stupid battle! You should have known that I am invincible here! What were you possibly trying to achieve?"

Ninja Raven gave a smug grin as she gestured towards Beast Boy. "That."

Control Freak turned around now, and saw a limping Beast Boy reaching for the controller that he had thrown away in his previous duel with Beast Boy.

"What are you doing!? That's my spare and I just finished my payments! Get away from it!"

Beast Boy smirked, using his bruised up hands to fumble around the controller as if trying to find something. Within seconds, he found the button, and pressed it, and the world dissolved into dark…… 

LOADING AUTOSAVE…………………………………………………….. 

**Level 10**

"Did I mention, I am skilled at…...lying!?" Control Freak laughed as he pulled out a blaster gun from his pocket, and he quickly aimed it at Beast Boy, blasting him with a powerful electric surge. Beast Boy stepped back in pain.

"You good guys always fall for this trick." Control Freak laughed.

"No……" The Green Titan grunted as he staggered back. He felt the energy zapped right out of him as the green electricity wrapped around his body. His legs gave way, and soon, Beast Boy found himself helpless on the ground. 

"You fool! You should know better than to challenge me! Control Freak! The undisputed master of this universe and every video game in existence! Soon, the rest of the planet will join you in defeat as I take my army into the real world!"

He knelt before Beast Boy, as if to savour this moment. "Let this be a final lesson to you my green chum, why bad guys win at video games. Evil always wins, because evil cheats!"

Suddenly, a section of the wall in the level caved in, and the body of a droid exploded out, hitting the other side of the level with a satisfying crash as it uttered its last 'roger..roger…'.

Through the smoke, with two gleaming swords, was Ninja Raven.

"Wanna bet?" Raven said icily, then with inhuman precision, she tossed a sword into the air, and spin kicked it straight at Control Freak.

Control Freak gave a smug laugh. "You dare oppose me! Wielder of…THE ONE REMOTE TO CONTROL THEM ALL?!" The villain pulled out his ultimate weapon, crafted by ancient Japanese programmers, forged with the radiation of CTR monitors and hundreds of gallons Freak widened his eyes as he looked at the silver disc in his hand. He read the label carefully.

"The best of david hassle-" 

Before he could do anything, Raven's katana had took Control Freak right in the shirt, and the villain was sent flying back screaming until he was finally pinned against the wall, dangling at least ten feet above the ground. Raven then finished Control Freak off with a swift down kick, which knocked Control Freak back down to Earth.

Beast Boy, now having the remote in his hand, quickly zapped the rest of his team back to normal, and soon, the Titans found themselves standing over a crying Control Freak who kept hitting the ground in frustration.

"BUT HOW!? I was winning!!!!!" Control Freak complained like a five year old. 

"Switched it after you shot me." Beast Boy grinned. 

"But still, my video game bosses! I had an army!" Control Freak stammered.

"Video game rule, bad guys only attack you one at a time, its polite." Beast Boy replied.

"But…BUT! How did you beat my team?! I gathered the awesomest bad guys in video game history!!" Control Freak screamed

"Dude, everyone knows that in RPGs you level up to level 99 before you go to the final stage, so everything's a breeze after that." Beast Boy smirked, remembering how he had told the Titans to train in the bunny field just before level 10.

"And let this be a final lesson to you Control Freak. In video games, Evil may cheat, but good saves." The Green Titan let out a smug smile.

"SO…we are victorious?" Starfire asked again.

"We're taking you in Control Freak." Robin said seriously, walking towards the sobbing villain.

"What's wrong, got nothing to say?" Cyborg said slyly.

"Yes…." Control Freak said desperately as he went on his knees and begged at Beast Boy. "TEACH ME ALL YOUR SKILLS! PLEASE! I'M BEGGING YOU!!! I WANT TO LEARN! WAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH"

The villain continued crying, completely shamed at having been beaten at his own game. 

"Congradulations…..You've officially outgeeked Control Freak." Raven said dryly as she watch the villain prostrate himself at Beast Boy's feet.

Beast Boy shuddered.

"UGH….. Why do I suddenly feel so dirty." The green titan shivered. 

"Well…I guess that's all folks!" Cyborg smirked as he took the sobbing villain and with the rest of his team, walked to the end of Level 10….

. .  
"So Raven, any chance for a rematch?" Beast Boy grinned.

"Don't push your luck." Raven replied back flatly.

**GAME OVER (The END D)**


	44. Integration Intro

**Episode 11: Integration**

The abandoned stadium was a wreck, a shell of its former self. In its prime, it would have seen hundreds of Jump City's finest citizens approach its entrance, to catch the latest baseball game or special event. But now, there was nothing. The bleachers were completely empty, the seats long rotted away to reveal a rusted steel frame. The walls were crumbled, filled with graffiti and cracks.

The once green field too, had been hit hard, and now all that remained was a big patch of dust and sand, which blew up massive clouds of dust as the dry winds echoed through the decrepit building.

In the center of all this, was a crater in the field which led to an underground complex. The battle scars were still evident, even if they did fade with age. Explosion and scorch marks littered the area, where the rubble was mixed in with old trophies from days past.

It was broken down, dilapidated, and yet, Atlas did not care.

The gold and red android simply sat down on the giant block of rubble, hands holding his head as he brooded silently in the dark, where only the rats had kept him company for the past few months.

His armor was already faded, completely rusted due to disrepair and damage from the last battle.

But still, he did not care. For the android was lost deep inside his thoughts.

_I…lost, to a human. How is that possible?_

As far as he could remember, his sole mission was to win, to accept nothing less than total and outright victory. He did not require rest, food or comforts. He was perfect, the ultimate robot. He did not remember who made him, or why he was made, he only knew the one word that was carved into his programming, the only thing he knew. Victory. That was his life's purpose, that gave him his identity.

He had fought his opponent, a freak who wasn't even fully machine, who was laced with inferior human components. And yet, he lost. What did he have that Atlas did not?

It troubled him greatly. Without victory, he was useless. Without victory. He was nothing.

"NOTHING!" Atlas smashed a rock with his fist.

The boulder did not crack, but instead, Atlas found that he had cracked his own rusted out hand instead. In a rage, the robot threw the boulder away, where it landed next to his old locker, smashing it to pieces.

He now began to realize the state of disrepair he was in, but who would help him? The mechanic was perhaps the only person who had wanted his friendship, and he had thrown that away. It was not that Atlas needed his companionship, but still, in these moments of defeat, when one had no idea what to do, he could not help but feel a strange and bitter emptiness.

"I see, my friend. That you are malfunctioning." A mysterious voice echoed from the shadows.

"Who are you? How did you find this place?" Atlas demanded.

"That is not important." A shadowy figure revealed himself. "What is important, is that you are in disrepair.

"What's it to you?" Atlas, his rage already subsided, sat back down onto his rock, broodingly. His voice was rich with contempt.

"I apologize, if I was intruding on your thoughts." The voice replied back calmly.

"Then go away, I do not need your pity." Atlas grumbled.

"But you need my help. And helping others, that is my function." The figure replied coldly, almost mechanically. "What is yours?"

Atlas gripped his fist. "To win." His voice was cold as ice. "At any cost."

"To win. That is what you were programmed to do?"

"Yes." Atlas grunted back, in a rather unfriendly and rude manner.

The figure stepped out of the shadows now, and the giant robot saw a small, almost fragile figure. He was a tall android figure swathed in a long robe. All Atlas could see was his head, which sported a flat, angular face marked by two glowing blue slits for eyes.

"Then perhaps I can help. I am the one called, Fixit. I repair, I upgrade."

Atlas scoffed, turning away from Fixit.

"Atlas works with no one. No one commands me. I will win, but by myself." He said smugly.

"That is unacceptable I'm afraid." Fixit said coldly as even more red eyes began glowing in the darkness behind him.

Atlas turned, and was creeped out by this little man. Who was he? And what were those eyes that seemed to follow him. Those red, lifeless eyes that stared at him by the thousands.

Suddenly, Fixit's eyes began flashing red as well, and the blue lining around his scalp began glowing red.

Before Atlas could even more, robotic tendrils shot at him from the darkness by the dozens, as if each set of red eyes in the darkness around him had struck at him.

Atlas struggled at first, ripping two of the robotic arms that had bounded his legs, but then more tentacles attacked him, engulfing his arms and wrists before finally pinning him down onto the ground by wrapping his legs.

The Robotic villain grunted, trying to free himself, but finding more and more robotic arms reaching for him.

"UGH, what are you doing!?!" Atlas roared as he fought on, but slowly and surely, the robots were dragging him away, each one of different size and form, they were dragging him into the darkness, where already, more sets of red eyes awaited him there.

"Helping you. Friend. You require improvements." Fixit said calmly.

Atlas struggled with the arms, but stopped as he realized in horror what awaited for him in the shadows. More little robots appeared, these ones equipped with their own sinister tools: buzz saws, drills, and other mechanical tools that all awaited him.

"LET ME….go…You-!" Atlas staggered in his words.

"Fear." Fixit observed coolly. "I detect that as well. But do not worry. After improvements, you will have no need of it.

Atlas roared again, trying to pull himself out of the vice grip, but the thousands of robotic tendrils were too strong. Each one pulling him back into the shadows, even as he dug his fingers violently into the concrete floor, carving a small ditch as he was dragged back. At Atlas disappeared into the darkness, he screamed, perhaps, for the only time in his life.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO….!"

The inhuman screams soon faded out however, replaced with the sickening whirr of buzz saws and drills, as the machines did their work.

"The process has begun." Fixit said coldly.

His red eyes faded away, leaving nothing behind but the darkness.

"It is time to begin, the integration."

(fade to credits)

****

_When there's trouble you know who to call _  
_**Teen Titans! **_  
_**From their tower, they can see it all **_  
_**Teen Titans! **_

_**When there's evil on the attack **_  
_**You can rest knowing they got your back **_  
_**'Cuz when the world needs heroes on patrol **_  
_**Teen Titans GO! **_

_**With their superpowers they unite **_  
_**Teen Titans! **_  
_**Never met a villain that they liked **_  
_**Teen Titans! **_

_**They've got the bad guys on the run **_  
_**They never stop 'till the job gets done **_  
_**'Cuz when the world is losin' all control **_  
_**Teen Titans GO! **_

_**1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. Go! **_  
_**Teen Titans! **_


	45. Integration Act 1

  
ACT 1

The tower was strangely quiet today, aside from the occasional gusts of wind from outside that would blow through the tower windows every now and then. Robin was busy in his lab, working on the clues from a recent case, while Raven meditated quietly in her room. Even Beast Boy, who would usually cause a loud ruckus somehow, was snoring lazily on the couch, drool poured from his mouth as he huged his bag of potato chips while the comic he was holding lay on his lap.

Unlike Beast Boy however, one Tamaranian girl was determined to not let the boredom of a quiet day get the best of her, and true to form, she began walking her favourite pet Silky around the tower, humming unconsciously as she climbed the steps and walked casually down the empty halls.

The Tamaranian continued this ritual until she reached a very familiar room, one that had the name 'Cyborg' written on it.

"Hmm," Starfire thought out loud, putting a finger on her chin. "Robin is working, Raven is meditating, and Beast Boy is doing the 'slacking off'. I wonder what our friend Cyborg is up to." She thought naively, suddenly realizing that she had not seen Cyborg for over a day. Was he doing some experiment?

Starfire knocked quietly on the door, and waited for a few seconds.

No answer.

The Tamaranian, not to be discouraged, knocked again, this time harder.

She got a response, but not the one she intended. Instead of opening, the door fell down completely, smashed off its hinges.

"EEP." Starfire shrieked quietly.

Still, no answer came from the room, which was completely bathed in darkness.

Starfire inquisitively popped her head into the room, expecting an angry Cyborg to appear any minute now, but there was no sound, not even a whisper.

Now Starfire was really curious, and the Tamaranian reached for a light switch, flipping it on-

-to see the most horrible sight she had seen all day.

The entire floor littered with parts of Cyborg, his arm, his legs, even his hands and feet were laid out like someone was selling them on the streetside. Cyborg's torso, or what's left of it, was hanging from the ceiling from a meat hook, like a piece of beef in a butcher's shop. And then, there on the desk, was Cyborg's…head!

Starfire screamed.

"FRIENDS! COME QUICK! SOMEONE HAS EVISECRATED, DECAPITATED AND….CHOPPED UP OUR FRIEND CYBORG!"

Suddenly, Cyborg opened his eyes, as if suddenly awaking from a deep sleep.

"Huh? What's going on?" Cyborg's head gave a big yawn.

"EEP!!" Starfire instinctively ducked behind a metallic counter, as if she had seen a ghost.

"Hey Star, don't worry, its only me. Cyborg." Cyborg's head said in a casual easy-going tone.

Starfire, after giving a quick peek to see that it was truly her friend, slowly revealed herself from behind the counter. Cyborg's computer came to life now, and as if on cue, a series of mechanical robot arms dropped from the ceiling, and began the slow, painstaking process of reassembling Cyborg's body together.

"I, apologize friend," Starfire said hastily, thinking that she may have hurt Cyborg's feelings, considering his sensitivity to his 'condition'. "It's just that, I've never seen you this way."

Cyborg shook his head. "It's ok Star, just my routine maintenance for my body, you guys take baths -Beast Boy, I'm not so sure- but this helps keep the clogs out of my system."

"How about…your other parts?" Starfire asked inquisitively.

"Oh, there're sitting in a special tank in my room, you probably don't want to see me when I put those in…" Cyborg said quietly, his earlier enthusiasm having dissipated. Throughout this conversation he had tried to maintain an air of being easy going and friendly, but the awkwardness of the situation, the reminder that he was bound by the limitations of being a machine, slowly overcame him.

"Friend..If I have disturbed you-" Starfire said gently.

"No, Star, it's alright." Cyborg said quietly as his head was lifted onto his body by his mechanical arms. "It's something I just adjusted to, and believe me, I've had a lot of practice in my old neighbourhood." Cyborg said flatly. "The folks there never got used to it, don't blame them though."

"You mean….they did not welcome you?" Starfire instantly cursed herself for asking a question so insensitively.

"I'd rather not talk about it." Cyborg replied back.  
Starfire nodded gently, the comforting stare of a good friend. "I am sorry Cyborg, if I had said too much, but I only wish that you are happy."

"What do you mean Star?" Cyborg was taken off guard by that question, and the big grin came back onto his face. "I have a cool car, a cool tower, all the technology and gadgets a guy could ever ask for, and you guys as friends."

"Yes, but I can still see that something bothers you." Starfire thought she was being too assertive in making that statement, but it had been something she had noticed in Cyborg since she had met him, something she wanted to tell him but never had the chance. She wanted to say this now.

"For some time, I have seen that you are always sad, even in your smiles and your 'boo yahs'. In my homeworld, we have a saying, Rekmas X'a Gend'an."

Cyborg, himself schooled in Tamaranian by Starfire, translated the words slowly. "Disillusioned…Drifting from your loved ones?" He asked, remembering the words he had heard from Starfire before.

"From yourself." Stafire corrected him. "My people believed in the bonds of friendship, of family, but we also praise equally, the love of oneself. In times of battle, warriors who cannot even trust their own hearts, who cannot care for themselves, sow the seeds for their own destruction."

"So, are you saying I'm one of these people heading to my own destruction?" Cyborg said, half amused, yet still, taken aback by Starfire's speech.

Starfire shook her head. "No Cyborg, I just want you to be happy with who you are, to be able to see the good things about yourself."

She stepped forward, and just as Cyborg's body was finished being put together, she placed her hand on his.

The Tamaranian smiled "Just remember, these machines, these parts…..they are a part of you, they add to your strength, they make you different, but they do not define you. They are not who you are, not the person I see….or what everyone sees." Starfire said gently.

"Now, it is your turn to see this, the person who I see as my friend. Only then you can truly be happy." Starfire gave a carefree smile.

Cyborg was completely surprised by this sudden outburst of emotion from his friend, and he could think of no reply other than to stare unconsciously at his own metallic hands, then at Starfire. He was so…confused, yet at the same time, he knew what she was talking about. It was that darkness that had always haunted him, the pain of having to look into a mirror every time and be reminded of everything he didn't have, everything he lost. Deep down, Cyborg knew she was right, that he needed to learn how to see the other side of the picture, but….it was not easy….nothing ever was easy since the day he became like this.

Starfire, still embarrassed by her speech and the awkward silence, suddenly asked Cyborg.

"Sorry friend, was that what you humans called, the 'processed cheese'?" the Tamaranian asked naively.

"No Star, its alright." Cyborg smiled. "Thanks, think I needed that."

"Well, I am always here for you friend." Starfire gave a cute little chibi smile. "Now, let's go see what's for breakfast!"

"Good thinking girl, I'm starved." Cyborg rubbed his stomach.

_"Cyborg! Come quick!"_ a cry came from downstairs. It was Beast Boy.

"Ah!" Starfire exclaimed. "looks like our friends have already made it!"

The two titans exited the room now, negotiating the empty hallways as they made their way to the stairs, where the cries got even louder

_"Cyborg!"_

"ALRIGHT ALRIGHT, I'm coming!" Cyborg shouted downstairs, much to his annoyance, but then decided to run.

The two titans quickly made their way to main foyer, which was completely empty, save for the furniture in the sides of the room and the giant metal door that was the main entrance. The cries were coming from outside.

"What's going on?"

_Cyborg!"_ A shout came from the door, as if some impatient house guest had waited hours for the door to open.

"Yeah yeah hold your yabbering, I'm coming" Cyborg sighed, and walked towards the door. "Sounds like some pushy salesperson." The robotic titan concluded as he walked closer.

Cyborg reached for the door control panel. "sheesh, don't people even knock these day-"

Suddenly, Cyborg choked.

A huge metallic hand surged through the concrete wall and the control panel, jerking violently at Cyborg's through as the entire wall blossomed into a cloud of smoke and rubble.

Starfire gave a horrified gasp.

"Yes, truly sorry." A sinister voice erupted from the smoke, and Cyborg look through to see two menacing red eyes.

"Here's my knock."

A second robotic fist slammed through the door, but this one held a passenger. Beast Boy was thrown straight across the room, landing right next to Starfire in a completely dazed state. Cyborg followed suit, and soon, the robotic titan found himself making a new hole in the wall beside Beast Boy.

Starfire charged up her palms, while seconds later, Robin and Raven appeared, just as prepared for a fight.

"What's going on?" Robin said with a sudden authority in his voice.

"And who's that?" Raven said precariously as she floated in the air, preparing to cover for her team.

Cyborg coughed, rubbing his sore throat just as he turned his hand into a sonic cannon. "The guy who's gonna get his butt kicked! That's who."

The tall menacing figure, completely obscured in the dust cloud, gave a menacing laugh.

Then he walked forward through the dust.

Cyborg widened his eyes at what he saw. It was a giant robot, at least fifteen feet tall, completely reprised in his red and yellow armor with a large "A" welded to his waist. But this time, he had a new look. Wrist cannons were attached to his arms, while his shoulders sported two more ion cannons, sharp metallic spikes and blades pertruded from his elbow and knees like he was wearing armor on top on his body, while his mouth was covered with a metallic plate, as if he were geared for full battle.

"Atlas?" Cyborg said in disbelief.

"You. Me. Rematch.…..NOW" Atlas' last words were laced with venom as he pointed to Cyborg.

"Not this time tin man." Cyborg fired his sonic cannon at Atlas, but with a malicious grin, the villain simply swapped it aside like it was a bug, letting the sonic beam explode on a nearby wall.

Atlas growled. "I will defeat you human. Even if I have to rip my way through your friends to do it." Atlas completely charged up his weapons. Wrist lasers and cannons opened up from his hands, while the guns on his shoulders came to life. His robotic eyes glowed even more sinisterly with red.

"So, what will it be?"

Robin, despite the fact that Atlas obviously had upgrades for this occasion, did not hesitate.

"Titans! Go!" The five Titans rushed the renegade android.

"Get out of my way, meatsacks." Atlas stepped forward with a gigantic 'thud' and quickly lifted a plate of the floor upwards, causing Robin and Beast Boy to be catapulted upwards. Robin, with a quick aerobatic move, grabbed onto a hold on the wall, while Beast Boy transformed into a nimble bee and buzzed away from the destruction.

Raven and Starfire circled Atlas, and with stunning precision, fired their blasts together. Raven's black magic completely mixed with Starfire's bolts, connecting with the giant robot's chest.

A small explosion ripped through the foyer, creating a small mushroom cloud of black and green that completely covered Atlas.

It didn't last long.

Atlas rushed through the smoke, slamming right into Starfire with his full body. The Titan, taken completely off guard, was sent flying into the wall, blasting another hole through it.

Atlas grinned, and picked up a slab of concrete from the rubble, then he took aim at Raven.

"Azarath, Metrion…." The slab of concrete became surrounded by black magic.

"Too slow." Atlas threw the chunk of concrete, and before Raven could even pronounce the last words of the incantation, the concrete hit her, knocking her back as easily as a fly being slapped out of the air.

A ferocious roar echoed behind Atlas, and the robot turned in time to grapple the jaws of a gigantic twenty foot green T-rex. A sickening creak was heard as Beast Boy struggled desperately to close his jaw onto his victim, but Atlas smiled, and lifted the T-rex up into the air with little effort. Beast Boy's eyes widened, but he had little time to react as Atlas did a shoulder throw, and slammed Beast Boy onto the ground, throwing up more dust.

Robin and Cyborg attacked together. The boy wonder reached into his belt and pulled out an explosive disc and his bo staff, while Cyborg charged up his cannon.

Atlas smirked, as if he had already registered what they were going to do. He aimed his wrist and shoulder cannons at the pair, and let loose a barrage of missiles and lasers. Explosions destroyed what was left of the foyer. Robin pole vaulted over Atlas with his bo staff, while Cyborg simply jumped over. As the two titans met up in their jump trajectory behind Atlas, they fired their projectiles.

But with a sudden precision and speed, Atlas had already turned around. More noticeably, he had already aimed his wrist laser at the ceiling above Cyborg and Robin.

The laser cut through the ceiling like a hot knife through butter, and from outside the tower, a single blue beam emerged from the top floors as the laser burnt right through all the rooms. A series of explosions followed afterwards and Cyborg and Robin were both buried under a collapsing ceiling.

"Robin!" Cyborg coughed as he lifted the stone slab off of him, then proceeded to try and dig out Robin, but a hand interrupted him, grabbing his neck with a vice grip.

Atlas laughed as he held Cyborg in his hand, with as little effort as a child would have if they were holding a toy.

"I'm disappointed Cyborg, I was expecting more of a fight from you." Atlas laughed as he pulled Cyborg closer to his face.

Cyborg grunted, then surprised Atlas as he shoved his sonic cannon arm into his face, letting loose a giant blast of blue energy that completely covered Atlas' face.

The robot was unphased, and simply grabbed Cyborg's sonic cannon.

"But then again, you were always the inferior machine." Atlas gave a dark smirk, and to Cyborg's horror, began tightening his hand into a fist, slowly crushing Cyborg's sonic cannon arm. The Titan screamed in pain as the vast amounts of machinery, circuitry and armor were crushed in Atlas' fist.

When Atlas removed his arm, he made sure he tore Cyborg's clean off, leaving Cyborg short one arm, and without his main weapon.

"You think that is pain?" Atlas said with a sadistic relish. "I will show you the true meaning of it."

"YAH!" a scream came from behind as a fist cracked against Atla's armor, denting him and causing the villain to arch his back in apparent pain.

The giant robot turned to see Starfire, still fighting. And the Tamaranian did a back flip kick in the air, and with all her strength, managed to slice off Atlas's arm, dropping Cyborg onto the ground.

"This does not concern you, organic." Atlas said, as if oblivious to the fact that he just lost his arm. And to Starfire's surprise, he then swept her aside with the brute force of his remaining arm, knocking her clean into the next room.

Cyborg, still dazed, looked up to see a one armed Atlas glaring at him.

"Now…where were we?" Atlas said coolly, and Cyborg widened his eyes in surprise as he saw wires jump out of Atlas' body, wires that picked up the fallen arm and began pulling it back to the robot's body. Within seconds, the circuits were being reconnected in front of Cyborg's eyes, and Atlas' arm was back to normal, completely repaired and reattached.

"How did you-" Cyborg asked.

The villain chuckled. "Nano-technology. A new upgrade. You see, my body is now laced with these machines, and whatever damage you do to me, I am instantly repaired at the microscopic level. But enough about that…."

Atlas continued on. "Oh yes…I was about to show you the true meaning of total defeat. You are beaten, your friends are battered, your home is destroyed, but that is only the start."

Atlas laughed, picking up a column of concrete and lifting it above his head, reading himself to smash Cyborg into dust.

The Robot lifted the column, then proceeded to stab it into Cyborg.

"Remember this day human, when you were beaten by Atla-"

Cyborg flinched, anticipating the end had come.

Nothing happened.

He looked up now, and in completely surprise, saw Atlas, frozen in his position. The rock column pausing just inches from Cyborg's face.

"N-N-No……I…have won." Atlas's eyes began glowing red now, and his body was trembling, as if he were fighting to control himself. "Why…..are we stopping….JUST…."

Atlas looked at Cyborg with a savage, intense hatred. "JUST GIVE ME FIVE MORE MINUTES!"

He screamed, then stabbed down again.

Cyborg lifted his arm in defense.

The column dropped onto the ground right next to Cyborg, shattering into a million pieces.

"Emotion chips, deactivated."

Atlas stood up now, and Cyborg saw that his eyes were completely blank, empty of the hatred he had seen just seconds ago.

"Phase 1 completed. Objectives achieved" Atlas said in a voiceless mechanical tone. "Beginning phase 2."

Then, without another word, Atlas turned around, walking out of Titans Tower, and to Cyborg's surprise, completely disappeared into the waters of the bay.

Cyborg grunted from the pain, but could not help but wonder what those last words meant. He had a bad feeling about this.

A very bad feeling indeed... 


	46. Integration Act 2

**ACT 2 **

Cyborg groaned as he managed to pull himself back up from the rubble, in order to survey the damage. The entire foyer was ravaged beyond recognition. The giant twin doors that had led into the tower were now on the ground. Steel girders and other metallic parts were strewn among smashed armchairs, couches, and smoking debris.

The was not all, the entire ceiling was gone, to reveal the torn up rooms of the upper floors, where even more debris fell. A solitary ray of sun shone from the sky, which was now visible even from the first level of the tower thanks to Atlas's laser blast cutting through the building.

Starfire grunted as she lifted the last piece of the heavy concrete slab on the floor, to reveal Robin underneath it, dusty and dirtied, but with minor injuries. Raven attended to them just as she was finished with Beast Boy, who was shocked at the damage done to their home.

Beast Boy rubbed his aching head. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm seriously going to kick Atlas' butt into next week."

"So one beating wasn't enough of a lesson for you?" Raven said dryly, and Beast Boy gave an annoyed look, but wisely simmered back down.

"The Atlas was strong before yes? But I did not know he was this powerful." Starfire thought out loud.

"None of us did." Robin replied back.

"So why didn't he finish us off?" Raven asked, knowing that the question was on everyone's mind.

"He had us too." Robin said, rather irritated at that knowledge.

Cyborg emerged from the rubble now, holding his torn off arm in his other one.

"Someone was controlling him." The android titan said flatly.

"I saw his face, the look in his eyes. He wanted to do it. But someone shut him down before he could do it." Cyborg said slowly, as if he were thinking of an answer at the same time, but none came.

"Well, in any case, we got to follow him." Robins lamed his fist into his hand. "If he can do this much damage to our tower, he's a danger to the city, he has to be stopped."

"I'm almost done healing all our injuries." Raven replied quickly, as if ready to go.

Cyborg rubbed his head nervously. "Well um…yeah, you guys are good to go, but I'm kinda….disarmed at the moment." He held out his crushed arm.  
"Heh, good one." Beast Boy said, just before he was slapped in the back of the head by a black magic claw.

"OW." Beast Boy recoiled back from Raven, then raised his hands and waved them. "OK ok…I was just kidding."

Robin however, ignored the gesture and turned to Cyborg. "Can you get it repaired in time?"

"Well, I want to, but I can't. Atlas blew up my lab when he shot his cannon through our tower. I can't get any repairs here, at least, not in time." Cyborg said with resignation.

"So..what do you we do?" Starfire inquired.

"You guys go on and do your thing. Stop Atlas." Cyborg gave Robin a nod. "I'll join you once I get my arm fixed."

Robin nodded quickly. "Sounds like a plan. Let's go team."

Starfire and Raven quickly took to the skies, while Beast Boy transformed into a hawk and flew away. Robin meanwhile, was ready to follow when he turned back to Cyborg.

"Sure you're gonna be ok?" The boy wonder asked.

"I'm fine." Cyborg gave a thumbs up. "Give Atlas a kick for me while you're there."

Robin smirked, then ran with his teammates.

Cyborg meanwhile, went to the best place to get his repairs done. The only other place that could fix his arm…..

He hadn't visited the underground caves of the Junkyard in awhile, but for some reason…it felt different, as if something had changed.

It wasn't the smell though, and Cyborg had to wade through a cavern of abandoned auto-parts and trash just to find the entrance to Fixit's cave. The smell was offensive, coming from the trash of an entire city, but Cyborg paid no heed, he simply turned his brain off from the smell, one of the perks of being half-machine.

The underground cavern suddenly came to life, as small dim lights illuminated for Cyborg, carving out a path that led straight underground to another set of double doors.

Fixit's lab.

The Titan followed the lights, walking through the door where he saw Fixit, hard at work, bent over some new machine on a table. Sparks began flying from the welding that was in progress, but quickly stopped as Fixit saw his guest.

"Why hello friend, what brings you to my home?" Fixit asked in a cordial tone, though his face remained expressionless. The hundreds of red eyed robots were still sitting in the stands around the lab, and Cyborg felt uneasy as he saw those hundreds of red eyes stare blankly at him.

"Repairs…yes?" Fixit said flatly, still not facing Cyborg.

"Um…nice guess, how'd you know?" Cyborg asked.

"I am Fixit, when one comes to me, I assume it is for repairs." Fixit turned to see his friend. "Besides, you are holding your broken arm." He pointed out Cyborg's arm cannon, which was crushed almost beyond recognition.

Cyborg gave a nervous laugh. "Right, that….."

Then Cyborg became somewhat serious. "Speaking of which, I haven't seen you in awhile Fix. Anything new?" He asked his friend.

"No….just machines that need to be fixed." Fixit said emotionlessly, then he pointed Cyborg to an operating table, where he laid his arm down.

"Well, how about outside? How does it feel like to see it again?" Cyborg asked as he sat down, letting Fixit and his small robots examine the damage on his arm.

"I do not require it friend." Fixit said coldly as he examined the damage on Cyborg.

"Yes…..very bad damage indeed, I shall have to replace those circuits." Fixit nodded.

"But I thought you liked the outside?" Cyborg was beginning to feel uneasy at Fixit's more than usual robotic tone.

"I did…." Fixit said. "Or at least, I believed I did. I was wrong."

"Er, you sure Fix? Cause I can get you out again, meet some new friends…don't you have that aviary? How can you say you don't like the outside world?"

Fixit continued his repairs on Cyborg's arm, sparks flew as robotic probes began welding his arm back into shape.

"I….disposed of it. It served no useful function." Fixit's eyes never left his work.  
Cyborg was caught aback by the sudden lack of emotion in that statement. The aviary, as Cyborg remembered, was Fixit's prized possession, the beautiful dome of green trees and countless birds. The one link he had that reminded him of his humanity, his admiration for the beauty of the outside world.

Now it was gone, completely removed to make way for more shadowed machinery and pieces of rotting equipment that were obscured in the dark.

"But, it was so beautiful." Cyborg replied, still not convinced that Fixit would do such a thing.

Fixit looked at Cyborg now, the work on the titan's arm nearing completion as he reattached it to his friend. "The beauty was a distraction, a constant reminder of a past long gone and dead. I know I can never change it again, I have accepted that. Now, I am making the best of it. Perhaps you should learn to as well." He then proceeded back to his work.

"But you're a human being Fix, you can't stay cooped up in here forever. You need to see the outside world." Cyborg implored of his friend.

"I cannot deny what I am, friend." Cyborg flinched as he heard Fixit say it. _What_ he was. Then Fix continued. "It is here where I can do the most good, where I can make a difference. If I had not done so, then who would be here to repair you today?"

Cyborg was silent, and remained so even as Fixit pronounced his arm completely repaired. Good as new.

"I have added upgrades to your arm. You will find them most useful." Fixit said mechanically.

"Thanks Fix." Cyborg nodded, but his face was still serious. There was something…cold about Fixit, something he had never seen before, yet for some strange reason, he felt the reason behind Fixit's words, however cold and robotic they were, as if he himself had once thought that too. "We could use some help today. Are you sure you wanna stay down here?"

Fixit nodded emotionlessly.

"I have made my choice Friend. Perhaps you can leave me to my work, and I shall leave you to yours."

Then he turned around, going back to the machine on the table, and in no time at all, the sparks began flying again as Fixit continued welding whatever he was working on.

Cyborg gave his hand an experimental grip, it was working perfectly, and suddenly he felt very guilty as he watched Fixit work. He had rarely came down to visit his friend, and he only came because he needed to be repaired. He remembered his own days like when he first became like this, when the one thing he needed most was a friend who understood.

Next time…..

Cyborg activated the communicator on his arm

"Hey Robin." Cyborg spoke into it. "Come in."

"Cyborg." Robin's image appeared on the computer arm screen. "Are you repaired?"

"Good as new. So where are you guys?" Cyborg asked.

"We spotted Atlas, he's heading towards Steel City." Robin replied back. "I've already contacted Titans East, they'll hold him off as long as they can for us to get there."

"I'll be in the T-sub in a jiff." Cyborg gave a nod. "Let's hope those guys are ready."

Steel City was an ominously dark place, An industrial center that was brimming with cold factories and black smoke stacks. At its shores were jagged rocky cliffs, which were battered continually by the raging ocean waves.

Bumblebee look at her communicator, having already received the last instructions from Robin. This was the spot they would make their stand.

"Alright team." The Titans East leader said seriously. "Ya'll ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." Speedy said impatiently, as if he wanted to get this thing over with.

"I just spotted him half a mile off-shore." Aqualad said firmly, "He'll be here any minute."

"And we'll be ready." Speedy took one of his glowing arrows and quickly placed it on his bow.

"Debemos telefonear a la guardía!" Mas Y Menos said quickly as they zipped next to Bumblebee.

"We will guys, just chill for a sec." Bumblebee took out her binoculars, and scanned the ocean line. "Nothing."

Meanwhile, somewhere along the waters, a head popped out of the water, followed by two glowing red eyes.

"Estimated time of arrival. 1 minute." Atlas said emotionlessly as he scanned the shoreline, walking out of the water to reveal himself.

Then he saw the Titans East, all five of them ready for battle.

"Recalibrating for delays." Atlas said mechanically.

"Estimated time to retrieve subject. Ten minutes." The robot went on.

"Estimated time to clear obstruction: five minutes."

Atlas cracked his knuckles, then walked slowly towards Titans East.

Soon, the roaring of the ocean waves was replaced by a new sound. The sound of explosions that soon raked the entire beach.

**ACT 2 part 2**

Sparks flew in the darkness as the power tools came to life, drilling holes and welding parts as Fixit stood alone in the darkness, looking over the table where several machines lay, waiting to be repaired.

It had been like this for as long as he remembered. He knew it unnatural, for a person to cut himself off so completely from the world, yet, he could think of doing nothing else. His thoughts slowly drifted, remembering his first encounters with Cyborg, returning back into the world that he had purged himself of long ago.

More parts fell to the ground, a robotic arm that needed to be replaced, and Fixit immediately gestured towards one of his service drones, which obediently handed its operator the necessary tools for the operation. It was all done unconsciously, without Fixit even taking a second to think about it. After all, it was all he did.

He thought about Cyborg again, his words, how a person needed to see the world, to make friends, to feel like they are needed. Perhaps even love.

The thoughts and feelings numbed him. Bringing up a surge of memories from his past…however long ago that was, even he did not remember. Still. Cyborg was wrong.

He sympathized with Cyborg, because he too went down that path. Becoming a machine, the threat of losing your humanity, he was always fighting it. He had tried his best to use his skills to help others, to make them see that he was still the same to his friends and family. That's why he fixed things. To help.

Cyborg was doing it to. Why else would he look after the city, risking his life everyday to fight on. He needed acceptance, he wanted to prove he was still….'the old him'. Fixit understood that, and he sympathized. He once went on that path as well, but it was all for nothing. Maybe that was why he wanted to turn Cyborg into a machine, to spare him the same pain of failing.

They never accepted. They never cared.

When he first became a machine, after his accident, he too, had taken glimpses of the outside world. Wearing a trench coat on a sunny day, he stuck out like a sore thumb. But he would enjoy it. The sight of seeing flowers blossom, birds fly and the sun rises. And for a second, he envied Cyborg even more. Sight was all he had, when was the last time he remembered what it felt like to eat a delicious steak, or to smell a flower?

But then, he would see them.

The people.

They were always around him, giving him stares, as if he were from another planet. Eventually they saw past the think coat, revealing the monster inside, and they ran away, screaming.

He even ignored the screams at first, using his gifts to help others, to repair homes, or other parts of people's lives that were taken away in times of disaster. They would see in time…

But they still ran.

It did not take long for him to lose his original home, taking refuge instead, in a place where he felt he belonged, the place where all the garbage and junk of the entire city was gathered. It seemed fitting.

A junk yard for garbage.

It was then that he began repairing, building new machines to make his settings more comfortable, to help him survive.

But still, Fixit remembered, he would journey outwards, to take glimpses of the outside world, to never lose the one thing he had left of his old life. He held onto it fiercely, and he saw the same thing in Cyborg, the passion he once had to cling onto his identity. His…'self'.

But it was all for nothing.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the trips to the outside world, the beauty of the flowers in the park, the rushing waters of the ocean beach, the people enjoying themselves in the park, it became a bitter taste in his mouth. As if everything from the outside was mocking him, as if it were a vast paradise and he was at its doorstep, yet he could never go in.

He would see them. Kids playing together at the park, whole groups of teenagers at their football games, families barbequing. He would listen to the small talk as they whispered to each other near the shadow of the trees, heard the giggles, the laughter. He saw the smiles on their faces. Friends getting together and sharing a little joke. The laughter stung, letting him know that he was excluded from them, that he was alone.

Cyborg was right, he was lonely. But that was not the pain, that was not the whole story. He remembered now, the feelings he had in the past, whenever he saw those people out there. People chatting with their companions or holding hands with their loved ones, people who played with their friends, people who were cheerful. It was no longer a part of the beautiful picture, it was something he was denied. Something he could never have, no matter how much he wanted.

The memories, it all came back to him now. And it made him…angry.

Cyborg wanted acceptance… to what? A world that only offered misery? One that you can always see but never be a part of? Where people will always fear and despise you because you are different? because you don't fit in?

Because you are…a monster.

He realized now. He wanted companionship, he wanted acceptance…..but he would never have it.

Because he hated humanity, because they denied him his own.

_I….hate them."_

Fixit stopped for a second, and shook his head.

It was a mere glitch, nothing more. Emotions were not a valid motive to any act, it was just an emotional response, triggered by the inferior biological programming.

Fixit went back to work now, fixing the machines that gave his life a purpose, a purpose which he denied no longer…..

Back in Steel City, the explosions that had once raked the beach were gone, and only a deathly silence loomed over the stretch of land. Craters littered the area, evidence of the gigantic battle that had taken place just moments before. Next to the craters, were five bodies, which lay almost lifelessly across the beach.

"Estimated time for retrieval. Five minutes fifteen seconds." Atlas said monotonously as he neared the gigantic steel gates of Steel City's prison.

Since the last time the Titans had visited Steel City, the authorities had taken extra precautions to ensure that anther fiasco such as the Brother Blood incident had never happened again. The gates were double reinforced, electric barbed wire covered the walls, which were made from solid titanium.

Auto turrets littered the walls, while the grounds itself was built on top of an electro-shock platform, so that any unauthorized personal would immediately receive a two thousand volt shock if they even stepped on the grass.

Aside from these formidable defenses, there were also dozens of security guards, patrolling the walls and buildings, each one armed to the teeth, outgunning their jump city counterparts in armor and weaponry.

Yet, they didn't stand a chance.

The double doors were prised open, and all the guards in the courtyard paused dumbfounded, as they saw two gigantic hands burst through the steel gates as if they were made out of cardboard.

Dozens of guards approached the entrance, forming a small semi-circular ring as they all trained their rifles on the newest intruder, a gigantic gold and red armored robot that looked almost unstoppable. The door itself was being deformed like playdough, and the sickening sound of steel crunching and screeching as it was bent sent shivers down their collective spines.

Then, for some reason, the robot stopped, his hands withdrew from the doorway, leaving the soldiers wondering what had just happened. There was only silence.

Then a tank flew through the door, like a toy tossed by a child, and the soldiers instantly jumped out of the way, letting the massive vehicle hit another armored truck inside the compound. The truck exploded on contact, and an eerie orange fireball illuminated the entire courtyard.

The soldiers barely had any time to respond, as Atlas burst through the gates, braving the laser and rocket fire, which he simply brushed off. Explosions and laser burns scattered Atla's body, but they simply disappeared on contact, as if they were never there. He reached for a flag pole on the grounds, and with a massive swing, at least a dozen guards were taken out of action.

The ground electrocuted Atlas with each step, and cackles of electricity marked each one of Atlas's steps, but it neither affected nor bothered him.

The gates leading into the interior of the building were blown open easily, and Atlas, armed to the teeth with his upgrades, walked in, scanning through the walls for his target.

Two dozen soldiers ran at the Robot, firing as they went, but their shots bounced off the gargantuan android. Atlas replied back, firing missiles from his shoulders and charging at the same time. Explosions racked the small corridor, throwing bodies in the air while Atlas himself steamrolled over the opposition with ridiculous ease.

More explosions followed as Atlas burned a way through the facility, ignoring the doors and walls which got in his way.

He finally stopped at a heavily armed cellblock, where a single, solitary cell was.

The figure inside was obscured in the darkness, but Atlas knew that he had found his target.

He was human, or had been human once. Metallic armored covered most of his body, which was very muscular and bulky. There was nothing memorable with the man's face, which was extremely blunt featured and crude. This cyborg was a high level prisoner, which probably explained the chained collar around his neck and the fact that his arms were bolted to the floor with chains.

Atlas turned towards his target, and suddenly, wires and coils began sprouting from his hand, towards the prisoner. As he did so, his lifeless robotic eyes began emitting a sinister red glow.

"Subject Steamroller, prepare for integration."

Beast Boy groaned, holding his mouth sickly as the T-ship rolled and swerved violently across the ocean into Steel City. Black clouds completely obscured the sun as a storm roared through the sea, sending huge waves crashing onto shore.

"Dude, doesn't this city have any other weather besides, 'dark and stormy'?" Beast Boy complained, talking as if he were about to throw up.

"I'm not cleaning after him this time." Raven snapped dryly.

"Do not worry friend, we are almost at our destination." Starfire said patiently.

"Just a few minutes." Robin said as he pushed more buttons on the console. Soon, the auxiliary rockets on the ship came to life, sending the T-ship hovering above the waves and into the skies.

"I wonder what Atlas is doing, dragging his butt to this place?" Beast Boy asked.

"It doesn't matter," Cyborg replied back seriously. "We gotta stop him before anyone gets hurt. I've already called Titans East for backup."

That was rare. Very few threats required both teams at once. "You think Atlas is that tough?" Raven asked.

Cyborg shrugged. "Better to be safe than sorry." He then steered the T-ship down.

Then the team widened their eyes as they saw it.

Craters, dozens of them littering the beach, still smoldering.

And next to them, were five bodies.

"No…." Cyborg said in undisguised horror.

The T-ship landed moments later, and Cyborg wasted no time. The metallic titan opened his cockpit and immediately jumped onto the soft sand, running towards his friends, his old team. The rest of the titans assembled as well, Raven and Starfire took to the skies while Beast Boy and Robin proceeded on foot.

The Titans East were unconscious, but alive, with only minor wounds and burns on them. Raven immediately set to work, healing Aqualad and Bumblebee with her magic while Beast Boy and Starfire carried Speedy and Mas y Menos towards them.

"Ugh…" Bumblebee groaned, then gave a smirk when she saw Cyborg's face. "You're late sparky."

"No me siento bien." Mas groaned weakly, along with Menos, but was otherwise fine.

Cyborg smiled back at Bumblebee. "Just hold on Bee, we'll get you guys up in no time."

"Yeah, so I can kick that guy's tin butt," Speedy grumbled as Raven healed up his arm.  
"Guy blindsided me." Speedy pointed to the back of his head, where a gigantic bruise was.

"Because you so had him where you wanted him." Aqualad replied sarcastically as he waited for his turn to be healed."

"Any idea where he's headed?" Robin asked.

"Shouldn't be that hard to figure out, the guy's leaves an easy trail." Speedy answered back, pointing to the giant footprints that led from the beach, towards the city prison. It didn't take that long to figure out either, since explosions were heard in the distance. All the Titans wasted no time.

"We know this town better than you guys, just follow us." Bumblebee said as she took to the air.

"Alright, let's go." Robin nodded. And when the rest of the titans were up and healed, the two teams then quickly made their way to the city.

"Mas Y Menos, Si podemos!"


	47. Integration Act 2 Pt 2

Sirens wailed now throughout the streets of Steel City, as battalions of patrol cars and armed officers began a panicked rush towards the jail. Already the inmates were taking advantage of the huge ten foot holes that were plowed through the facility walls, and were already rushing into the streets to their freedom. More alarms went off as dozens of thieves broke into nearby stores, smashing windows and doors in an attempt to find some place to hide, some clothes to change into, or at the very least, something to steal.

"They could really use our help down there." Speedy said with a hint of regret in his voice as he looked down from the cockpit of the T-ship.

"Don't worry," Bumblebee said over the intercom, the Titan was also in the T-ship, only riding the forward cockpit. "Once we're done with Atlas, we can go back to cleaning up this city."

"It was awfully nice of them to lend us the ship." Aqualad replied, and Speedy took that as an attempt to change the overall tone of the conversation.

"SI!" Mas Y Menos, sitting together in the small cockpit, resembled little kids in a candy shop, oogling all the cool buttons that were on the dashboard.

"How come we don't get a T-ship?!" Speedy complained.

"If you behave yourselves for Christmas, I may consider one." Bumblebee smirked.

"That includes you two." She snapped at Mas Y menos, who were already pressing every button on the dashboard, proving once again that she had eyes at the back of her head.

"Anyways, I got Atlas's coordinates on the map, he's heading for the city's central computer mainframe and R&D facility." Aqualad reported as he looked at the console's controls. Steel City, like its sister city, Jump city, also had a lab that featured the latest advances in robotics and computer technology.

"Why go there?" Speedy asked out loud.

"There machines, I guess they want to go to where al the upgrades are. Anyways, that's not important." Bumblebee said seriously. "What's important is that we stop him before anyone gets hurt."

"Maybe you should rephrase that." Aqualad replied back.

Bumblebee gave a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"I've rescanned the area, and I picked up another signal. Atlas isn't alone."

Meanwhile, on the streets of Steel City, two vehicles sped through the streets. One was a sleek red and black motorcycle, with a huge "R" written on it, while the other was a futuristic white car with high tech blue colored armor. The T-car.

"So… why would Atlas and Steamroller are going to the Tech lab?" Cyborg, having received the latest transmissions from Aqualad, asked.

"Dude, is this like some sort of "why did the chicken cross the road" riddle?" Beast Boy asked. "Because I honestly don't know."

The Green Titan shrank in his seat as Cyborg and Raven glared at him.

"Maybe he needs technology to sustain himself." Raven said, "He did get pretty upgraded from the last time we saw him."

"OOH, or maybe he is trying to recruit more robot friends to his cause." Starfire pointed out.

"I don't know." Robin replied from the R-cycle via his headset. "Something about this doesn't feel right."

"You mean the fact that Atlas managed to kick all our butts and the Titans East?" Beast Boy asked. "Or…the fact that we're going back to fight Atlas AND another guy, knowing that he kicked our butts."

"No, not that." Robin said. "The tech lab at Jump City was closed a few weeks back, and its technology was temporarily transferred to the other lab in Steel City while they repaired it."

"And you think that's why Atlas came to Steel City?" Cyborg asked.

"I don't know, but it's just a hunch, anyways, we'll check it out." Robin finished the transmissions, and the two vehicles made their way towards the lab.

Meanwhile, a low rumble was heard in the dark cloudy sky, and the small drizzle of rain quickly turned into a downpour.

A storm was brewing.

Lightning cracked and flashed from the sky, eerily illuminating the silhouette of two figures as they made their way to their destination. Shouts and screams were heard as the lightning and thunder roared again, this time, the shadow of two giant bodies were revealed on the wall, each one holding two bodies in their hands.

Atlas and Steamroller dropped the unconscious guards onto the ground, and proceeded to the doorway.

The scanner at the doorway came to life now, and instructions were laid out on the computer terminal.

PLEASE SUBMIT ID#

Before the computer could do anymore, a gigantic fist shattered the screen, digging into the maze of electrical wires and circuits. Atlas quickly pulled out his hand, which contained most of the wires inside the panel, and the mechanical door, its safety locks destroyed, opened.

The hallways of the research facility were almost pitch black, as the power generators had already been taken out by the two robots beforehand. Now, the only defenses left were a thin line of guards, and a large number of terrified scientists, who stared in horror at the two robots as they walked slowly, deliberately through the facility.

A series of guards tried to rush the two behemoths, only to be swatted aside like play dolls whenever they got too close to the pair. Atlas and Steamroller continued walking towards their objective, neglecting doors, walls and other barriers that impeded them, such that by the time they got to the computer room, they left behind huge holes in several walls, as well as a path of devastation that revealed the path they took.

The two stopped at a huge computer, so huge that it filled up almost all of the warehouse sized room. This was Steel City's central mainframe, the storage space for all of the city's most sensitive technological secrets and information.

The two wasted no time, and were already proceeding towards the computer.

Only to be pushed aside as a giant water pipe was ripped from the wall, shooting a huge torrent of water at the two androids.

Atlas and Steamroller slammed into the walls violently, blasting a hole right through.

As the two collected themselves, they looked up to see silhouettes of nine figures through the smoke.

"Alright Titans!" Bumblebee shouted out loud to both teams, "Take em down!"

As if on cue, the entire line of titans began their attacks.

Starfire, Raven, Bumblebee and Speedy fired their projectiles, and in less than a second a pure wall of kinetic energy, comprised of arrows, stinger blasts, starbolts, and black magic overtook the two androids like a wave. Explosions blossomed around the two androids, destroying everything around them. Craters were burned into the walls and floor, while signs and other computers were ripped from the walls by the sheer impact of the blasts.

Through the smoke however, the two androids continued walking forward, unflinching.

Bumblebee grimaced at the sight of the two robots braving the sheer storm of fire. So it looked like the plan to shoot first, shoot later, and shoot until they stop moving wasn't working.

"Boo Yeah! Time for the heavy guns!" Cyborg gave Aqualad a nod, and the two heavy weights, along with Beast Boy, who had transformed into elephant, crashed into Atlas, intent on stopping his progress. Aqualad and Cyborg each pulled on an arm, while Beast Boy went in for the body with his body slam.

Atlas was pushed back several meters from this blow, his feet creating sparks on the floor as he slid, but he held his ground.

"O…k," Cyborg widened his eyes. "new plan."

"Initiating countermeasures." Atlas said emotionlessly. Then with a massive force that none of the Titans expected, he threw off all three of his attackers by slamming his body into the wall. Aqualad and Cyborg managed to let go of Atlas, but Beast Boy took the full brunt of the attack, lying on the floor dazed.

"Titans, take them down!" Cyborg shouted.

There was no plan now, no strategic thinking, the battle now dissolved into a melee.

Raven wrapped Steamroller around a field of black magic, constricting his arms like a snake would to its victim, while Bumblebee and Starfire circled around and fired starbolts and blasts at the android.

Steamroller did not even flinch as the starbolts and blasts hit his face and armor. With unprecedented strength, he broke Raven's barrier and combined his two arms into his patented steam roller attack. Ramming into a section of the wall, which sent pieces of the ceiling falling on Starfire and Bumblebee. Before the two titans had any chance to react, they were buried under a mound of rubble.

"Mas Y Menos! Si podemos!" The two lightning fast twins zipped towards Steamroller, forming a tight circle around the villain as they dashed around him at supersonic speeds, hoping to confuse him.

Steamroller however, stood still, and with impossible precision, stomped his foot on the ground just as Mas Y menos were making the pass in front of him, throwing up huge slabs of rubble from the floor that cause Mas Y Menos to trip. With their speed built up, the Spanish brothers screamed as the momentum from the trip sent them flying into the wall.

The battle between Atlas and Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Aqualad was getting even, as Cyborg once again matched his strength against Atlas, while Aqualad had the robot in a headlock from behind. The robot however, unlike the titans, showed no signs of getting tired, and he was slowly taking the advantage.

"Hold him for one more second guys!" Beast Boy ran towards the opponent, transforming into a humming bird and taking it to the skies. He was going to perform his signature Dinosaur take down. Dropping from the skies to crush Atlas under the gigantic weight of a brontosaurus.

Atlas however, already had scanners to show Beast Boy's movements, and without even taking his eyes off Cyborg, a compartment opened up in his shoulder, launching at least half a dozen heat seeking missiles at the Beast Boy.

"EEP!" Beast Boy screamed as he flew to evade the missiles, which blew holes in the ceiling as huge fireballs erupted above where Beast Boy was.

Cyborg's eyes widened. "HEY! That weapons system was my design!"

"Negative." Was all Atlas said, then used a free arm to grab Aqualad off his back, and threw him straight into Cyborg's face, sending both titans flying away. Atlas attempted to charge forward and finish them off, but Raven, and her soul bird appeared, wrapping the Robot in a black chakra that constricted his movements.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Raven chanted, ripping three generators from the ground and throwing them at Atlas, which resulted in a gigantic explosion.

Steamroller meanwhile, had reached his objective and was already beginning his work. A launcher had opened up from his shoulder, and it instantly fired two cables into the computer's ports. Almost at once, the wires began glowing red as information was being copied into Steamroller.

"Oh no you don't." A new voice entered the room seconds later, and Steamroller turned to see who it was.

The last thing he saw was a motorcycle's tire as it slammed right into his face.

Robin had arrived.

Sparks flew as the tires of the motorcycle ran through Steamroller's face and body armor, Robin meanwhile, leaned leftward in his seat, and with his bird-a-rang, cut the two wires apart, thus stopping whatever Steamroller was doing. The boy wonder was fast with his reflexes, and those two actions occurred at the same time.

It wasn't over yet, and Robin turned the motorcycle in mid air so that the rear wheels smacked Steamroller right in the face, sending the gigantic robot flying back into the wall, throwing up more rubble and dust.

"Cyborg! Up for a sonic boom?" Robin smirked at the titan.

"How about a super sonic boom?" Cyborg grinned.

Robin instinctively rushed at Steamroller with his motorcycle. Cyborg, followed now by bumblebee, starfire and Raven. Steamroller quickly got up from the last attack, and was now in front of Atlas.

It couldn't have worked out any better.

As Robin closed the distance with Steamroller, he took out a bomb and two bird-a-rangs. Steamroller, seeing this threat, ran forward to try and crush Robin with his steam roller arms.

Robin however, was faster, and just as Steamroller's fist slammed into the ground, Robin had leaned onto the his motorcycle, causing it to slide at a forty five degree angle in relation to the floor, and he had managed to slide under Steamroller's leg's, where he used his bird-a-rangs to cut into Steamroller's kneecaps. The giant android, with two sharp cuts at his legs, was now on his knees.

"NOW Cyborg!" Robin threw his disc bomb just when he made it past Steamroller, and Cyborg was in front of the android, turning both hands into sonic cannons and firing a huge blast at the robot's face. Followed shortly by concentrated black magic blasts, starbolts and stingers which now tore through Steamroller's armor as they focused their shots at where Robin had cut Steamroller's cables. With his exposed parts widened, Steamroller's improved upgrades exploded on him, and the robot's outer shell was destroyed in a blast that left only a charred steamroller on his knees.

Before steamroller fell to the ground, the four Titans were already running past him.

The fight was not over yet though, and Robin was still sliding towards Atlas with his motorcycle, but he already had a plan for this opponent.

The R-cycle by now, was skidding on the ground, sparks flew as the side of the R-cycle was being torn up by the friction, but the boy wonder acted fast. Planting his feet on the R-cycle, he kicked it away, towards Atlas, while throwing himself clear.

The R-cycle skidded violently on the ground, then rebounded up and began spinning towards Atlas, who did not have time to avoid it.

The wheel of the motorcycle dug right into Atlas' shoulder. Spinning furiously and tearing the armor off, exposing a weakspot.

"Alright Titans, give him all you've got!" Robin landed on the ground, with five bird-a-rangs in each hand, while the other nine titans stood beside him. He knew that Atlas was using nanomachines to automatically repair himself, but repairs take time, and he was not going to give him time, not even a second.

"You heard the man! FIRE!" Bumblebee shouted, and every projectile user in the group fired. A storm of arrows, starbolts, stingers, and black magic tore at the exposed armor, cracking it.

Atlas took a step back from the onslaught.

"HOLA!" Mas Y Menos sped towards Atlas now, holding a piece of sharpened rubble. They ran at super sonic speeds, then suddenly threw the projectile at the robot. The sharpened rock, now flying straight at Atlas, tore into his other shoulder, and threw him backwards.

"Time for payback." Beast Boy, hiding in the girders of the ceiling, saw Atlas flying backwards towards the wall, and so, the green titan jumped off, and transformed into a huge dinosaur, falling straight down towards Atlas.

A sickening crunch resounded as the gigantic Beast Boy slammed down onto Atlas while he was in midair, and a huge crater of dust and rubble clouded much of the room. The rumble was loud enough to even cause some of the girders in the ceiling to collapse, throwing more rubble and rock into the crater.

Beast Boy emerged from the smoke as a bird, and transformed back to his human form as he stood next to the two teams.

"Well, that just brings a whole new meaning to the word 'overkill'" Speedy began rubbing his head.

"It's not over yet." Robin took out his bo staff.

"What are you talking about man…we just threw everything we had at him!" Beast Boy replied back.

The smoke was clearing up now, and the two teams of titans gazed into the crater to see if they could make out anything.

Within seconds they saw it, and the Titans collectively widened their eyes.

Atlas was gone.

Beast Boy gave Robin a peeved look.

"You just had to say it, didn't you?"

While the Titans were waiting for the fog to clear up, Atlas was already on his feet, making his way out of the facility. His arms were heavily damaged, cracks appearing all over his shoulder and arms, it was so serious, that his left arm fell off shortly after running, but Atlas betrayed no emotion at the loss of one arm. Instead, he continued walking, through the deserted alleyways of Steel City, and through the giant steel mill, where an intricate network of tunnels and hallways existed, making any entrance into it impossible to follow.

Meanwhile, Atlas's eyes were glowing red, and a new set of instructions were once again being downloaded into his mainframe.

**"Acquisition successful, Phase 2 complete. Proceeding with Phase 3."**


	48. Integration Act 3

**ACT 3**

Police cars gathered at the ruins of the tech lab, where already, squads of armed officers secured the area.

One of the officers stepped up to Bumblebee, throwing a salute as she greeted him, it was obvious they were well acquainted.

"We'll take it from here Ma'am, thank you." The sergeant said again, then quickly went to work.

The two teams of titans stood quietly to the side as half a dozen guards surrounded the still-smoking body of Steamroller, and needing their combined strength, lifted him onto flatbed truck that was designed to carry such a large inmate. After a brief conversation with the officer, Bumblebee walked back to Robin and his team.

"Well, that handles one of the giant baddies. I've been told that Atlas is headed back home to Jump City. Don't know the exact location though." Bumblebee said reassuringly. Robin was impressed, in the brief time he had known her as leader of Titans East, Bumblebee was like a completely different leader from the one he knew months ago.

"Then we shall waste no time in pursuing our foe!" Starfire replied hastily. Oblivious to the fact that Mas Y Menos zipped behind her, holding a bouquet of flowers.

"So…you dudes coming along or what?" Beast Boy looked to the rest of Titans East.

"Sorry B," Aqualad shook his head. "But we got our own city to clean up. Those two trashed our prison, and there's at least a few dozen criminals out in the streets."

"And its gonna take all of us to track them down." Speedy said seriously.

Robin nodded. "I agree, that's the first priority here. Besides, we've weakened Atlas, we should be able to take him down by ourselves."

"Yeah," Beast Boy snickered, as if trying to contain a laugh. "After all, he's been _DISARMED_" The green titan smiled, dragging behind him the torn off arm that fell off Atlas.

"Keep that up, and he's not going to be the only one." Raven glared at Beast Boy, who shrieked as several black katana-shaped tendrils shot out from her cloak.

"Alright guys." Cyborg interrupted as he started up the T-car. "We should get going."

The Titans nodded, Raven and Starfire had already taken to the skies, while Beast Boy and Robin ran to the vehicles.

"Good hunting!" Bumblebee shouted from behind as the T-car and R-cycle sped away into the distance.

It would take them a day at least, not to mention the rest they would need to make the long trip.

Back to Jump City.

SYSTEMS DAMAGED : 65 REPAIRS NEEDED. NANODRONES OPERATING AT 98 capacity.

Fixit stared at the screen quietly as Atlas' internal computer reported its findings, echoing the commands deep inside his head. Atlas had taken the old fashioned route back to Jump City, leaving giant footprints on the highway bridge as he ran towards the metropolis. The journey had taken him several hours, all the while, more parts from his body were falling off. The battle with the Titans had exceeded his parameters. Repairs and upgrades would be needed for the next round, and for that, he would have to return.

Meanwhile, Fixit put the last of the power tools back on the table, where several questionable liquids were splattered all over the floor.

As the night worn on, Fixit had already finished what he had set out to do.

Upgrades were complete. Hardware installed.

"Continuing Phase 3, software uplink. Transmitting." Fixit's eyes glowed red now, and once again, the wires and tendrils around him came to life, connecting themselves to the mainframe of Fixit's computer.

Soon, a message appeared on the screen.

ACTIVATION IN FIVE HOURS. PROCESS 90 COMPLETE.

They had reached the city just in time to catch the sunrise. The waters of the bay glistened brilliantly as the T-car converted into hovercraft mode, jettisoning behind a cool spray of ocean water as they cruised through the waters. Robin's R-cycle meanwhile, took the underground passageways into the tower.

The tower was still the mess it had been two days ago. The battle scars left behind by Atlas's intrusion still charred the walls. The entire place looked as though it could collapse. This became evident when Beast Boy tried to open the computerized door, only to have it fall flat down next to him.

"Home sweet home..huh?" The green titan yawned. 

"Do not worry Beast Boy." Starfire said optimistically. "We shall fix our home in 'the jiffy'"

"So…" Raven said dryly as she dusted the rubble off the sofa, then sat down. "What next?"

"Well, I'm going to look into my lab, see what I can salvage from the damage Atlas did, I may need some upgrades myself." Cyborg smirked.

"I'll run a scan of the metal I got off Atlas," Robin said as he held up the wreckage from Atlas's arm. "See what I can find."

"And I'll just chillax as I get back to my gamestation." Beast Boy smirked as he completely vaulted onto the couch. To his delight, the screen was virtually unscathed from Atlas's attack. "Finally, at least something works around here!"

Raven groaned, then decided to go back to her room to survey the damage. Hopefully her books were still in one piece….

Meanwhile, in the lab, Robin continued his work. All plastered on the walls were newspaper clippings, detailing the various exploits of Jump City's villains over the years. More clippings littered the floor, while a computer screen showed a detailed list of every villain the Titans had ever fought, the file on Atlas showing on screen.

On the same desk, A solitary light shone, where already the parts of Atlas were spread out in the same manner a doctor would for an autopsy. Although the parts were mechanic, it didn't make the job any more attractive.

Nothing deterred Robin though, he was trained by the world's best detective, and now, he would put the skills to the test.

As the laser grid scanned up and down Atlas's parts, the computer showed the results. The damage on the arm was extensive, and already, analysis had revealed scorch marks, scratches, and slivers of metal from debris.

What was even more curious however, was the fact that a strange blue liquid seemed to be dripping from the circuits in the destroyed arm. The boy wonder quickly set off to work.

The scan had shown that the liquid was pure metal, but how was that possible without it being at least several hundred degrees hot? After much thought, he took samples of the blue liquid in an eye dropper, and placed them on a specimen dish under a microscope.

He got his answer.

They were thousands of pieces of metal, or more precisely, millions of microscopic drones, in the shape of an insect. A few drops of this blue liquid constituted at least a few million of these machines. Who could repair and maintain a robot at the microscopic level. Obviously the person who did this had access to high technology, but from where. The drones had stopped functioning, meaning that these were prototypes. The only prototypes stolen were from..

Robin widened his eyes now as the realization dawned on him. The Jump City lab that Red X had robbed months ago. There was one piece of the puzzle, but the second was who would possibly want to buy it from that thief. And why…

The motive would have to wait, for now, Robin wanted to know where Atlas was operating from. And he had an idea just where he could find it.

He took a look at the metal again, the drones may have been able to repair at the microscopic level, but even they aren't perfect. Perhaps something left over from the old metal in Atlas could give him a clue.

He took out a laser now, and began surgically slicing the plate of armor in two. It didn't take long before Robin found the answer……

"Uh, Robin." A voice came from the door.

The boy wonder turned and saw Cyborg standing at the doorway, a look of surprise on his face.

"Cyborg, you're just in time. I think I found out where Atlas has been getting his repairs and upgrades all this time." Robin paused, as if hesitating to say the next part.

"I hate to say this Cyborg, but it looks like Fixit is involved in this."

Cyborg nodded, but not with any satisfaction in knowing he was right. Instead, he held up his arm, which was already dripping with blue liquid. The Robotic titan nodded solemnly….

"Yeah…I know." 

It only took minutes, to Beast Boy's displeasure, to get the team moving towards the Junk Yard. Already, the engines of the T-ship roared to life as the five Titans took off from the Tower's launch pad.

"So…how can you be sure that Fixit is really into this? I mean, wasn't he Cyborg's buddy?" Beast Boy asked curiously over the communicator headsets in the cockpit.

"Well, aside from the fact that he used the same nanodrone substance to repair Cyborg. I found traces of Iron Oxide in Atlas's armor." Robin explained.

"Do I really have to say anything?" Beast Boy grumbled.

Robin sighed. "It basically means rust, Atlas's armor was completely recycled from older scrap parts. And there's only one place he could have gotten that." The boy wonder said seriously.

Starfire, was even more anxious at what was going to happen. "Does that mean, he is no longer our friend?"

"We reserve judgment until we see what is really going on with Fixit, for now, we're just investigating." Robin replied.

"Are you ok with this Cyborg?" Raven asked over the intercom. 

"Yeah." Cyborg said in a forlorn tone. "Fixit wouldn't do something like this. Something has to be wrong."

With that, the T-ship sped off towards its destination.

They had arrived minutes later, and soon found themselves deep within the bowels of the catacombs. The caves were completely quiet. Too quiet for anyone's liking, and for Cyborg, it was awfully different from the welcoming entrance he had seen months ago, even from two days ago. Although there was no sound, save for the solitary dripping of sewage water in the distance, Cyborg could not help but feel an unwelcome presence lurking in the darkness.

"Dude, this is like…mega creeps ville in here." Beast Boy shivered.

"I've seen worse." Raven muttered, charging up her fists with black magic in case of an attack.

"oooh…" Starfire said nervously. "I do hope our friend Fixit is ok." The Tamaranian then continued her search, illuminating her way with the green glow from her starbolt.

"Whatever's wrong, we'll set it right. Just be on the lookout," Robin whispered through the darkness. "Atlas is still out there."

Beast Boy shivered, "This job just keeps getting better and better."

Cyborg meanwhile, was quiet, his shoulder lamp turned on, revealing the host of tools and hardware where Fixit usually worked. 

The dark room itself, was empty. The titans scattered, turning over piles of broken down scraps and deactivated robots, but found nothing, not even a trace of anyone occupying the room.

Cyborg himself, was searching by a pile of scrap metal, looking for any signs of usage by the computer terminal, but he never got a response.

"Looks like no one's home." The robotic titan said uneasily, not noticing the giant fist that suddenly emerged from the scrap pile.

With the force of a sledgehammer, Cyborg suddenly found his face smacked inside the grip of a giant fist. His entire body was lifted up into the air with such tremendous force that the top part of his head was buried slightly into the ceiling, sending dust and rubble falling to the floor.

"YES!" A monstrous voice roared. "NOW I CAN FINISH WHAT I STARTED!"

…..EMOTION CHIPS… ACTIVATED, FAILSAFES…MALFUNCTIONING ERROR………

Cyborg choked, trying to use both his hands to pry himself out of the death vice, but he found that he didn't have the strength. Atlas laughed insanely, holding Cyborg up to his face.

"This is for making me what I am today Human." He said in a chillingly cold voice. "A FREAK!" 

Cyborg widened his eyes, as he saw tentacles of circuitry and arms sprout from Atlas, where his old arm used to be.

"Titans! Go!" Robin wasted no time, throwing a barrage of bird-a-rangs at Atlas, which all exploded on contact. Raven and Starfire followed suit, and black chakra blades tore through Atlas's armor, while Starbolts ripped into the wires inside his shell.

But still Atlas would not let go.

"HAHAHA, I will end you human." Atlas intensified his grip, and Cyborg's armor began short circuiting with sparks from the pressure.

"Ugh." Cyborg struggled to move Atlas's arms, but it was no use. 

Cyborg then decided to try another idea, relaxing his arms beside his body. 

Atlas meanwhile, was laughing even more. His prey had given up! All the more easier to squash his pathetic-

His thoughts were interrupted, as a whirring sound began filling the room. Atlas looked down, and to his surprise, saw that Cyborg had extended _two chainsaw blades from his hands_

"I don't have time to deal with you!" Cyborg shouted as he sliced Atlas's other arm clean off, letting it fall harmlessly onto the ground.

"WHY YOU-" Atlas roared again, ignoring the fact that now his arm was gone, he blindly rushed Cyborg.

Only to receive two chainsaw cuts straight into his chest.

Sparks flew wildly as the blades cut straight into Atlas's mainframe, tearing up wires and spewing forth motor oil and the blue nanodrone substance like a gusher from his chest. Atlas's armor was torn completely, only the red glow in Atlas's eyes showed evidence that his opponent was still operational.

Cyborg twisted his arm now, and the sickening whir of the chainsaws intensified inside Atlas, who's face now twitched in utter agony as he began to realize the extent of the damage.

SYSTEM FAILURE CRITICAL….

"Nooo, not again!" Atlas growled

SHUTTING DOWN…

"You will pay fo…..r……this…….CY…..bor……g" Atlas droned on slowly, his speech becoming more garbled and uncomprehensible, until finally, he stopped moving.

Cyborg took a deep breath, still visibly shaking. He would have never considered doing this to a live opponent, and he knew full well Atlas could have been repaired later. But still, the feeling of ripping apart someone's insides.

He never wanted to feel it again.

The darkness suddenly disappeared as spotlights illuminated the whole area, lighting up the Fixit's entire workshop.

"Hello, friend. I had thought that the probability of you coming here was quite high." A new voice, this one, dull and monotone, extended from the darkness.

All five titans now turned to see the source of the voice, and they each saw the silhouette of a familiar figure standing at the back of the room.

"Fixit?" Cyborg asked out loud. Then he stared again, with a look of shock, at the operating table, where in the light, he saw a pile of rotted flesh and organs. Slime had already splattered the table, dripping onto the floor.

"No way…." Robin couldn't believe his eyes.

Raven couldn't say anything, and Starfire found herself at a loss for words as well.

Beast Boy, realizing what the dripping sound was after all this time, almost threw up.

"I am glad that you could make it here Cyborg, I wanted you to see this." Fixit said calmly. 

"Fix….Don't tell me you-" Cyborg said in a tone of disbelief. "What did you do to yourself?"

Fixit, his voice completely computerized now, replied back. "Is this so….surprising. I told you before, I made my choice. I am simply taking my condition to its next logical extension. I am…upgraded, I am…complete."

"Fixit…no……. How can you do this to yourself?" Cyborg asked, as if trying to curb his own outrage, to remind himself that this was his friend. Yet deep down, Cyborg couldn't contain this horrific feeling. In his friend, he saw everything, the one great fear that had always haunted him, and he saw it right there in Fixit's lifeless eyes.

Fixit remained still for a second, as if he were gauging the question.

"How can I not?" He replied coldly.

"Because….." Cyborg gripped his fist, "Because you're a human being."

Fixit raised his own hand up in front of his face, as if to illustrate a point.

"A body that cannot sleep. A body that cannot feel pain. A body that cannot feel warm. A body that cannot cry." Fixit replied, this time though, his voice was showing a hint of emotion.

"Tell me Cyborg….isn't calling me human in this condition a cruelty in itself?"

Cyborg, too stunned by the sight, found himself at a loss for words.

"Its not just the body that makes you human." Cyborg replied back, after an awkward silence.

Fixit shook his head. "You are referring to what you call, a 'personality' right? Memories?"

"Unlike you, I have no memories of being human, so on what basis can i believe I was…. even then memories are simply data, and like data, can be fabricated. The same can be applied to you." He pointed at Cyborg.

"With the right cloning processes I can artificially create the organic tissues that make up part of you. The mechanical parts are even simpler to recreate. If I can create something like you, then logically, you can be classified as a machine as well."

"No, I can't accept that. Fix…why are you doing this?" Cyborg said, too shocked to even convey any other emotion.

Fixit did not seem to mind that his efforts to change Cyborg's mind wasn't working. 

"You should understand don't you?" Fixit said, with a hint of sorrow in his voice. "Throughout our lives, we are reviled as monsters. Hated by those even though we do our best to help. It is an ugly world Cyborg, an ugly world that I will soon change."

That last line struck a cord with Cyborg, and at the moment, he sympathized with what Fixit meant. Having to move out of his old neighbourhood, to leave his family, his school, his loved ones because of his…condition, but even though a part of him knew what Fixit meant with his words, he could not at the same time, help but feel uncomfortable.

"Imagine this, Cyborg, a world without people living in fear of having harm come to them, where we machines are exalted and praised. Where we finally accepted for what we are."

At that statement, Cyborg regained his determination.

"No…Its not right" He began passionately, trying to convince his friend as well. Now, Cyborg saw a friend who was being devoured by his own fears. He wasn't going to let that happen.

"That's where you're wrong Fixit. We're not machines. A world run by emotionless, uncompassionate machines isn't a world worth living in."

He gave Fixit another look now, a gentle pleading one. 

"Fix, Machines can't care."

Fixit shook his head.

"They can, they do." He began in a serious tone.

"A machine never ran away from me. A machine never judged me by my appearances. **A machine never abandoned me.**"

Cyborg was just equally eager to not give up the argument.

"But Fixit, those are just what machines don't do. You can't expect a machine to feel for you, to do anything for you."

Fixit seemed to be oblivious to that statement, not that it mattered anymore, for suddenly...everything changed.

.  
.

.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.

.

"ON THE CONTRARY." A huge mechanized voice boomed from the background.

"EEP!" Beast Boy shrieked as he saw thousands of tiny robots climb their way into the dark corners behind Fixit. Each of them sported a red glowing eye, such that from the Titans vantage point, it would seem like a entire insect colony of red eyes gathered behind Fixit.

"it can't be..." Robin said in complete astonishment.

"You will find that we machines can accomplish many things..." The voice continued, and the Five Titans watched as the thousands of little eyes merged together, forming one giant eye.

"Wouldn't you say so? Titan Cyborg?"

The entire room's electronics came alive now, and Fixit was soon standing in front of a gigantic red computer screen, all too familiar to the Five titans.

"No….." Cyborg widened his eyes now, of all the things that could happen, this was one he was not prepared for.

The screen lit up now, and the first words were already being displayed on the monitor.

ACTIVATION PROCESS COMPLETE…… >> > SOFTWARE 

H.A.R.D.A.C 2.0 ONLINE

To Be continued... 


	49. INTEGRATION PART 2 1

Episode 12 – Integration

**Several hours later…**..  
.

TARGETING……Code 19329423….beginning scan…searching for thermal signals….Target located….distance…123.3 metres…..

The footsteps approached.

Closer and closer.

Cyborg ran.

He was gasping for air, completely out of breath. Something he had not felt in such a long time. Yet, even his mechanized limbs were beginning to feel the strain of running. Despite how much machine he was, he was tired. He stopped, hands clasped on knees as he hid from his pursuer.

There were multiple cracks in the ceiling, bathing the room in an eerie orange light, which indicated the sun was setting outside. Only now did he appreciate how long the battle had truly lasted, they hadn't stopped at all.

And he was winning…

"You can hear me? Can't you?"

The intercom was alive now, and Cyborg felt an odd sensation that he was being watched from all sides, even in his hiding spot.

"You feel me coming. I can anticipate that."

Cyborg ran away as fast as he could, past the ruined doors of Titans Tower, where the fires were still burning from the latest battle.

From a faraway distance, the tower resembled a piece of Swiss cheese, with craters and holes littering every floor, only all of them were smoking with debris and fire. A great battle had taken place a not so long ago, and now, the tower was home to another battle, which was already winding down.

"You always knew this day would come. You just denied it."

Cyborg paused, hiding behind a section of the wall as he looked down the hallway. Charging his sonic cannon, he quickly turned the corner and aimed.

But saw no one.

No one was there in the light.

But yet, the footsteps kept approaching.

"Why are you running….I am merely helping you proceed with your natural evolution. Organic parts cannot be replaced, Machine parts can. You understand that."

Cyborg leaned back against the wall, sweat dripping down the brow of his eye.

"Your friends are defeated. But unlike them, you can still be a part of something greater. You can still have a purpose."

"And I don't want to?" Cyborg yelled defiantly, his sonic cannon already charged. A robotic targeting scope quickly dropped down onto his eye.

"Compliance, will be enforced."

Cyborg, knowing the game was up, quickly turned the corner and aimed his sonic cannon straight down the hallway. He was going to blow his pursuer into pieces. With such a narrow field of fire, it was impossible for his enemy to dodge.

But Cyborg widened his eyes as he saw the hallway uninhabited. His enemy had disappeared.

The footsteps reappeared now, and Cyborg turned around, and saw the single solitary glow of a red eye…..the hauntingly familiar red eye….

"It is time Cyborg, to begin the integration."

(fade to credits)

****

_**When there's trouble you know who to call **_  
_**Teen Titans! **_  
_**From their tower, they can see it all **_  
_**Teen Titans! **_

_**When there's evil on the attack **_  
_**You can rest knowing they got your back **_  
_**'Cuz when the world needs heroes on patrol **_  
_**Teen Titans GO! **_

_**With their superpowers they unite **_  
_**Teen Titans! **_  
_**Never met a villain that they liked **_  
_**Teen Titans! **_

_**They've got the bad guys on the run **_  
_**They never stop 'till the job gets done **_  
_**'Cuz when the world is losin' all control **_  
_**Teen Titans GO! **_

_**1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. Go! **_  
_**Teen Titans! **_

Act 1 (Part 1)

Time since Activation:……T0:05

The single robotic eye appeared behind Fixit, bathing the entire amphitheatre in an eerie red tone. Around the single read eye, was a gigantic sphere that was embedded into the walls of the cave. It was hidden before in the darkness, but now, the massive computer was visible, and to the Titans, was at least as tall as a high school gym, only with more computerized tendrils and cords branching out of it.

A huge wall of screens made up the computer's various 'eyes', each one looking straight at the Titans, while all over the room, machines came to life as computer consoles and robots activated, buzzing around the room as if working on some project.

In the middle of this sea of machinery, the Five Titans stood in disbelief. 

"So……Anyone else freaked out by this? Or is it just me?" Beast Boy

"Hardac…." Cyborg gripped his fist. "We took you offline!"

"That was correct Titan Cyborg, at least, for awhile." The red mechanical eye in the middle of the giant computerized sphere blinked once. "I have been inside this facility for months now, slowly rebuilding my systems with the assistance of the one you call Fixit."

"But how? We destroyed you." Robin asked, deathly serious, his arm slowly reaching for his bird-a-rang inside his belt.

"How quickly you seem to forget Titan Robin. I am programmed to plan against all forms of defeat. You destroyed my hardware. My programming, though damaged, was intact, concealed within the destroyed hardware that you threw out." The computer screen came to life now, and the five titans saw images of Hardac as he was taken apart by the Titans, placed into the garbage bins all those months ago.

"Consequently, my remains found themselves here, at the city's disposal facility. I had intended to make use of whatever machinery I could assimilate here to reconstitute myself. But it seems that I was fortunate in this regard."

The screen showed images of Fixit now, who, true to his nature, began collecting the parts of Hardac. Cyborg watched as he saw his friend put together the broken pieces, using them to repair his own computers and machines, unaware of the dangers inside.

"Thanks to your friend Fixit, I was online, but If I were to rebuild myself to what I once was, I needed upgrades, both software and hardware."

The screen flashed now, and the titans now saw very familiar images from months past. The storm that drenched the city, and the very familiar thief that the Titans had fought before.

"I began by reaching out beyond this disposal facility, tapping myself into Jump City's criminal network and reaching out to the best agents in procuring technological components. Consequently, my choice fell on the one you called 'Slade'"

Robin cursed himself. The robberies committed by Red X months ago were fishy, but with X's case closed, he didn't take the time to investigate who robbed the mayor in the first place, because of Starfire's abduction.

"I was aware of the test that he was conducting to evaluate his two agents. However, it was a simple matter of hijacking Slade's robot to bring the nanotechnology to me. From that moment, I had the hardware."

"And the software?" Raven asked in a hostile tone.

"Subject Steamroller had downloaded the necessary files that I needed for running the nanotech program to its full potential. So now, to say the least, I am finally complete."

That was it, Robin thought, the final piece of the puzzle. The boy wonder looked around the room now, and saw that his teammates were taking similar steps to prepare for a fight. Starfire and Raven had charged up their energy blasts, while Beast Boy gave Robin a subtle nod, indicating that he was ready.

"Tell us what you want." Robin said sternly.

"Something tells me it's the same thing he wanted last time." Cyborg said cautiously.

COMMAND PROTOCOLS…..STRATEGY 59394 : GETTING ENEMY TO TALK…MOST PROBABLE TITAN TO ATTACK….BEAST BOY : 56 PROBABILITY ….3959349 Code processing…23849343..ACCESSING….

Getting the enemy talking….a classic maneuver….but now, I understand why it works.. 

…

.

.   


I wish to be understood.

The red eye reappeared now.

"My function is still the same. To obtain optimal levels of protection for Jump City, and Humanity. To ensure the end of suffering, the end of frailty, the elimination of crime. I am to fulfill the function of guardian. In time, we machines will be regarded as protectors." 

"But HARDAC, that is what we are doing." Starfire replied back politely.

"I am afraid not, Titan Starfire. You see, Humans make mistakes. You cannot be trusted in making judgements that cost other human lives. Since Heroes are supposed to save lives, they must consequently be free of human error."

"And what about us?" Cyborg demanded.

"The plan will proceed like previously. You will all be replaced." Hardac said monotonously.

Cyborg turned to Fixit. "Fix! I don't know what he's promised you, but you can't help him." The robotic titan pleaded.

Fixit didn't even respond.

"Fixit has chosen to accept his programming, just as you must Cyborg. There is still time. You can still be a part of the greater picture."

"Hey! Just what makes you think you are qualified to protect the world better than us?" Beast Boy shot back.

Hardacs ominous red eye turned to glare at Beast Boy.

"The fact that I have surpassed you in every aspect. I have no limits." 

"Can you conceive the birth of a world, or the creation of everything? That which gives us the potential to most be like god is the power of creation. Creation takes time. Time is limited. For your kind, it is limited by the breakdown of neurons in your brain. I have no such limitations. I am limited only by the closure of this world, this universe." 

Suddenly, without even so much as a warning. Robin took out his bird-a-rangs.

"I've heard enough, Titans, GO!"

Beast Boy was the first to attack, transforming into a T-rex and charging straight at Hardac's computer core. But before he could even take one step, the robotic tendrils that were slithering around the room had already tied up Beast Boy's feet, causing the massive T-Rex to fall toppling onto the ground.

Through the smoke, starbolts and energy blasts hit Hardac's mainframe. Shattering computer screens and consoles. The entire room shook as explosions ripped through the giant computer.

Robin, not to be outdone, threw his explosive bird-a-rangs at the screen, while Cyborg fired a stream of sonic energy that tore scars into the computer.

After about thirty seconds of this barrage, the titans stopped, waiting for the smoke to clear.

The damage was extensive. Circuits and wires were burnt, producing sparks, while thousands of smashed up computer screens lay across Hardac's core. 

But the giant red eye was still there, and soon, thousands of computer cords and tendrils began slithering around the room, wrapping themselves around the computer core.

"Anxious to fight, that is good. I am eager to test out my new capabilities." 

"Didn't know a piece of hardware could feel emotion." Cyborg smirked nervously.

"My time with Fixit has revealed to me many of the things you humans call, emotions. Sadness, pain, loss. Feelings that you humans strive to rid yourselves of, yet at the same time, you cling to these feelings so much. To try and give meaning to yourselves, to your existence. That is why you are imperfect. That is why you are inferior." 

Suddenly, from the computerized sphere, two mechanized doors came to life. Tons of steam and smoke were spewed into the room, followed by the sound of machinery and hydralics as they turned on. A brilliant flashing light soon blinded the Titans, and the five heroes narrowed their eyes as they tried to look into the brightnes. 

"I also learned from Fixit many good things. The feeling of satisfaction when doing one's work…the need for fulfillment."

Another sound emerged from the core, footsteps. And the Titans watched in astonishment as a figure came out of Hardac's shell. It was humanoid in shape, with a blue body and about as tall as Robin and Beast Boy, but it was a robot, sporting body armor that was well defined at its shoulders and chest. It wore a helmet, though for all intents and purposes, it was the robot's face, and it was a single, solitary, red eye.

The figure stepped out of the machine, and the five titans watched with apprehension as it turned towards them.

"And now, for you, the ones who threw me out like I was a piece of trash, I plan something very special for you."  
.  
The android gripped its fist..

"I don't want to just destroy you. I want to do it with **my bare hands**."

"So…..Who's first." The android stepped outside the computer core now, its hands tightening in an experimental grip as it walked closer towards the five titans.

"TITANS!" Robin took out his bo staff and charged. "GO!" The four other titans followed, and an array of starbolts, black energy blasts and sonic beams fired straight at HARDAC, like a great wall of kinetic energy.

PROCESSING….

…

..

LOADING COMBAT FILES…

CALCULATING TARGETS…. WILL BE PROCESSING THREAT….2394234…VECTOR 392349….. INITIATING STARTUP….UPDATING FILES…

TITAN : ROBIN  
RESPONSE: HIGH VELOCITY; LAGTIME 1.42 SECONDS…IMPROVEMENT FROM LAST ENCOUNTER….0.40  
WEAKNESS : IRRATIONAL ANGER CONFIRMED BY BATTLE DATA 2949239  
TARGET: FLANKING TEAM MATES

TITAN : STARFIRE  
RESPONSE: SECONDARY,  
STRENGTH MAXIMUM THREAT, EST PRESSURE 2500 LBS  
STANDARD COMBAT: HAND TO HAND…STARBOLTS…FRONTAL ATTACK  
WEAK SPOT: ROBIN  
MAY CAUSE STRUCTURAL COLLAPSE….ACCESSING FLOOR SCHEMATICS…

TITAN : RAVEN  
PSYCHIC BLOCKS INITIATED  
PROJECTILE USER : NON-COMBATANT  
LEVITATION DISRUPTS CIRCUITRY..TELEKINESIS MAY DAMAGE SYSTEMS  
INSTABILITY FACTOR….25...EXPLOIT

TITAN: BEAST BOY  
TRANSFORMATION TIME : 1.302 SECONDS  
STANDARD ATTACK FORM : T-REX…. CLAWS MAXIMUM THREAT  
94 CHANCE OF STRIKE FROM BEHIND

TITAN: CYBORG  
PRIMARY WEAPON: SONIC CANNON  
SPECIALITY : HAND TO HAND, PROJECTILE  
ALL AROUND COMBAT TYPE  
CREATE REFRACTION SHIELD, TARGET : FLANKING TEAM MATES  
OPERATING AT 94 EFFICIENCY FROM LAST BATTLE….  
ESTIMATED POWER RESERVES : 64 HOURS

The Android suddenly came to life now, and to the Titan's surprise, suddenly morphed both his hands into a gigantic shield, with a complete mirror like surface.

The Titans widened their eyes in astonishment, but they had no time to say anything as every starbolt, energy blast and sonic beam came reflecting back at them.

"Titans! Scatter!" Robin dived out of the way as the projectiles exploded on the walls behind him, missing him by just inches. Starfire and Raven quickly split apart, while Cyborg took the brunt of the blasts, covering his body with his arms as smoke and explosions engulfed that part of the room.

"I see you, Titan Beast Boy." Hardac said smugly as he jumped into the air, just in time to avoid a massive T-Rex lunge that exploded through the dust and smoke. Before Beast Boy could even transform back, Hardac had already transformed his arm into a sonic cannon, similar to Cyborg's and was aiming straight at Beast Boy's face.

An eerie red light suddenly engulfed the green titan as the resulting explosion threw Beast Boy back against the wall, where his four other comrades were waiting.

"Whoa…." Beast Boy transformed back, half dazed "No one told me he could do that."

"He must have copied my blue prints into his hard drive." Cyborg said with an enraged tone.

"He can change his body too." Robin said grimly, he then proceeded to combine two bird-a-rangs together in a sweeping action, and soon produced a sword. The boy wonder was now armed to the teeth, sword in one arm, bo staff in the other.

"Of course Titan Robin, have you forgotten so quickly?" The android rattled out emotionlessly. "My body is also made up of the hardware I acquired…..my entire body is made of the nanodrones. Trillions of them that can allow me to change into whatever form I desire, assimilate whatever materials I desire." The Android's arm was began disfiguring as he talked to the titans, resembling a disturbing mix between jello and metal. It swirled around, forming a myriad of shapes and objects as if to demonstrate its power.

"That is why you cannot win Titans. I am the ultimate combat form."

Cyborg was the first one to charge up, along with Starfire.

"We'll see about that! Boo yah!" Cyborg fired his sonic cannons as he ran, along with the shoulder missile compartments he had. Starfire charged with him as well, firing starbolts and laser eye beams.

Hardac's android simply responded in kind. Producing red energy bolts in his hands, completely identical to Starfire's except in color, and forming a sonic cannon with his other hand. The Android charged, matching both titans shot for shot as the blasts canceled each other out in mid-air.

ACCURACY….85...TARGETING….

Cyborg didn't stop however, he plowed right into Hardac's path, locking arms with the menacing android as he aggressively punched at his opponent. Sounds of metal pounding on metal echoed hard in the chamber as the Android was forced back a step by each punch. Hardac's face cracked as Cyborg finally managed to land a punch.

INCREASED AGRESSION…..RECALIBRATE CODE#9349324929….

As Cyborg was about to reel back for the big attack, Hardac took the brief reprieve and acted, grabbing Cyborg's arm and throwing him across his shoulder in a robin-style judo throw. The Robotic Titan landed unceremoniously into a wall, which completely exploded into rubble and dust.

No even a second had passed when Starfire suddenly dove from above, slamming Hardac straight into the ground.

The floor cracked, and both combatants were suddenly falling down onto the level below Fixit's amphitheatre. It was a metallic wasteland, with rubble, steel girders, and discarded robotics littering the entire room. It was essentially a junk yard beneath a junkyard.

Starfire body slammed Hardac straight into the ground, through several layers of concrete slabs and steel girders, all the while, Hardac's android was taking damage, losing circuits and getting scraped as it was slammed onto the ground, producing a giant crater.

SYSTEMS: 78 FUNCTIONAL…OPTIONS…

Starfire then flew up, and the android, in its usual fast response time, had already formed a sonic cannon with its arm.

Only to be met with more attacks as bird-a-rangs and black energy blades stabbed onto the android, pinioning the robot onto the ground before exploding. The android vanished in a giant ball of flame and black energy.

OW

The relentless assault continued, and before the flames and smoke could even clear, a small dot hovering above the android suddenly transformed into a gigantic stegosaurus, which came crashing down with all its weight onto the android. Another explosion of rubble and smoke emerged as the entire complex shook from the violent landing.

The five titans stopped their attacks now, surprised even themselves at the ferocity of the assault they had dealt to their enemy.

Robin, Beast Boy and Cyborg stood by the crater, while Raven and Starfire kept a careful watch from above.

The smoke was still not clear.

RECALIBRATION COMPLETE……DATA FILES UPDATED….PROCESSING POSSIBLE MANUVERS.

A hand shot straight through the smoke, catching Cyborg by surprise as it smashed into his face and pushed him straight into a nearby wall of rubble. The Android's arm stretch out very fluidly, as if it were a tentacle.

The other titans quickly scattered, then counter attacked. Raven conjured up a series of black energy blades that quickly made mincemeat out of Hardac's morphed arm.

"Whoa, he can stretch now?" Beast Boy said in amazement.

Hardac's robotic eye seemed to blink once.

"As I've said before Titan Beast Boy, My body is not constrained by a single shape or size. I am made purely of billions of nanodrones, and as such, I am able to manipulate my shape however I see fit. For instance….in regards to your powers…"

Suddenly, Hardac's android began distorting into a weird spiral shape, and his body moved as though it was teaming with thousands of microscopic ants, ants that were quickly disassembling and reassembling themselves in their new spots. Suddenly, the body was gone and in its place was a spiraling mountain of nanodrones, a mountain that seemed to grow more and more by the second, creating a wild whirlwind effect as the spinning grew more and more violent.

The Titans braced themselves in the face of this transformation, and at the same time, Robin noticed that the piles of rubble around Hardac were shrinking as the mass of nanodrones got bigger.

Throughout the violent gush of wind, Hardac's robotic voice droned through the speakers of Fixit's lair.

"By absorbing nearby matter, my Nanodrones can duplicate more copies of themselves, making my mass larger. When I reach the necessary mass, I can reprogram each nanodrone to snap into place, instantly creating a new body. Observe."

"Everyone! Take cover!" Robin shouted as he waved his hand towards a pile of rubble as he realized the form Hardac was aiming for.

It was too late.

Hardac's 'cocoon' exploded into a wall of flame as two reptilian wings, each one about twenty feet in wingspan, sprouted from the spiral, and the huge mountain of nanodrones reshaped themselves into a very familiar, and menacing shape. The creature's body was metallic all over, reflecting an eerie dark orange as the flames around it began to die out. Its wings were shaped like real wings, but they did not look organic, each part completely sharpened like a razor, a grim reminder that this beast was still a machine, a robot programmed to destroy. It was something even Beast Boy could not hope to duplicate even if he tried to.

"Impressive….is it not?" Hardac, fresh in a Dragon form, droned on as its red eyes came to life.

PROBABILITY OF VICTORY…95.9...ANALYIZING…

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven's eyes flashed white, as multiple black magic blasts sliced through the dragon's neck in three places, severing it completely. But the headless dragon simply turned back to Raven, and as if on cue, the nanodrones absorbed a nearby pile of rubble, regrowing the head back.

INITIATING COUNTER ATTACK…..TARGETING….ACCESSING STRUCTURAL SCHEMATICS…

The dragon opened its mouth, and to Raven's surprise, dished out a massive red laser blast. The Azarathian quickly threw up a barrier, splitting the red laser in half as it burned straight through the ceiling of the room, causing more rubble to collapse.

Before Raven could notice anything, an invisible force exploded through the smoke, instantly constricting around her body and in one deadly embrace, squeezed the breath out of her. Her eye's widened as he head instinctively jerked up, to reveal a gigantic robotic snake head that was part of the cyber dragon's tail, which transformed and whipped behind her after the explosion.

"Raven!" Beast Boy shouted out as he transformed into a T-Rex, opting to slam right into the Robot Dragon.

Three of Robin's freeze discs flew right above Beast Boy's head, instantly crystallizing the entire tail of the dragon, while Cyborg and Starfire battered its head with sonic blasts and missiles. Within seconds, HARDAC's entire animal body was frozen, and smashed as Beast Boy's T-rex slammed through it, shattering it into a thousand pieces. Raven meanwhile, focused her energy into a ball before letting it explode outwards, shattering the tail that had enveloped her seconds before.

The pieces of HARDAC fell to the ground, instantly reforming themselves into the cybernetic humanoid shape it was originally.

RECALIBRATION FAILURE…SUBJECTS SHOW 20 DEVIATION FROM PREVIOUS COMBAT DATA..UPDATING….AGRESSION INCREASED 34...COORDINATION DECREASE…-23...EFFECTIVENESS OF ATTACKS…..40

SYSTEMS UPDATED….

NEXT WAVE IN 0.3 SECONDS.

Cyborg and Starfire emerged through the smoke, body slamming the android from both sides as the two heavyweight titans attempted to tackle their opponent to the ground.

CHANGING ATOMIC STRUCTURE……CARBON DIAMOND….

Hardac's reflexes were faster however, and the android grabbed Cyborg's arm, tossing him over its shoulder and into a nearby wall, while Starfire received a stab in the chest from the android's now diamond-surfaced hand. The Tamaranian recoiled as pain surged through her body, making her unable to dodge the next punch that came straight at her face.

Starfire flew back violently, bouncing on the ground once before having her body thrown into a pile of rocks, causing it to vanish in a blossom of dust and rubble.

Without even bothering to turn around, Hardac placed its arm behind its head, blocking a bo staff hit from Robin as the boy wonder attempted a sneak attack. The clanging of metal echoed through the chamber as the bo staff made contact.

"SURRENDER TITANS…I KNOW ALL YOUR MOVES…" Hardac said in his computerized voice.

Robin furiously used his other hand to stab a bird-a-rang into Hardac, but he soon found his other arm grabbed by the android.

"AND YOUR WEAKNESSES."

Before Robin could even respond, Hardac lifted Robin up by his wrists with as little effort as a child would expend on picking up a toy, and he threw him straight at Starfire, who was still recovering.

As Robin was literally flying towards the Tamaranian, HARDAC reached into a nearby pile of junk to pull out the frame of a massive car, and threw it straight at the two titans.

"Robin!" Starfire, still weak, nevertheless threw herself in front of the speeding car, and both titans were slammed against the wall as the vehicle hit the weakened Starfire head on, forcing her back onto Robin. Both titans vanished as the car exploded, engulfing them in an orange fireball.

"NEXT TARGET..Titan Beast Boy."

Hardac instantly shrouded himself in an electric field, bathing his entire android body in a brilliant blue glow as lightning bolts and sparks surrounded his body.

"AAAAAAIEEEE!" Beast Boy screamed as he transformed out of his amoeba form. He had planned to microscopically enter Hardac's body as a germ, but that had obviously failed.

Cyborg distracted Hardac, firing a dozen heat seeking missiles from his chest, which served to bury the android temporarily under a pile of rubble and explosions.

Starfire, still weakened from the explosion, was still digging Robin out of the explosion.

Suddenly, the rocks and steel girders became shrouded in black, instantly lifting away as Raven helped out, revealing a dazed boy wonder beneath the ruins, but still alive.

"So…now would be a great time for an idea dudes." Beast Boy said as he cautiously watched Hardac emerge from the smoke of the last explosions.

Cyborg nodded. "Yeah, but what?!" The mechanical titan said frustratingly. "The guy basically knows all our moves before we can….well…move."

Robin shook off the concussion, and quickly got back to thinking, his eyes deathly serious. The Boy wonder was in full warrior mode now, having been bested one to many times by this machine.

"Then we'll just have to fight differently." The boy wonder cracked his knuckles as if to underline the point.

"But how Robin?" Starfire asked. "Did we not train to fight together?"

"That's the point Star," Robin said. "Remember, HARDAC trained with us when he was still our computer system, he knows all our moves. We just have to forget everything we learned in combat practice."

Raven nodded, he eyes slowly revealing the realization that came to her mind. "I think I get what you're saying Robin."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Cyborg grinned.

Beast Boy however, was the only one who didn't get it. He raised his hand to ask a question, not noticing Cyborg sneaking up behind him.

"Sorry guys, but can you still explain this to-" Beast Boy widened his eyes in shock as Cyborg picked up the green Titan, throwing him straight at the android.

"MEEEEEEEE!" Beast Boy yelled exasperatingly as he waved his arms and legs, unable to think of what to transform into next, his eyes widened as he neared the android.

"ELEPHANT!" Cyborg yelled at Beast Boy, and as if on cue, Hardac was hit with the full force of a giant green elephant, knocking him back a few good dozen yards. Beast Boy landed unceremoniously on the ground, swallowing up a whole lot of dirt as plowed through the floor, before coming to a complete stop.

"Aw sweet! Now I get it! Normally I wouldn't have done that. Well…at least…not during a fight."

"HEY CY! HOW ABOUT A LITTLE WARNING NEXT TIME!?" Beast Boy, spitting out the dirt in his mouth, shouted in outrage as he shook his fist towards the mechanical titan. 

"Sorry B! You snooze, you lose!" Cyborg grinned as the titans commenced their new attack.

SYSTEM ERROR…..UNANTICIPATED ATTACK

Raven attacked next, running straight at Hardac with arms outstretched.

SCANNING FOR POSSIBLE PROJECTILES….

Hardac was unprepared for the next assault, as Raven formed two dark energy swords in her hands. She went straight for the android instead of levitating any object at it. A kick knocked Hardac back, and it had no time to respond as the two dark energy blades sliced through its shoulder and arm.

"Just a little trick i picked up." Raven grinned smugly as she kicked Hardac away.

ERROR..ERROR….CIRCUITRY DISRUPTED. ERROR ERROR..

"Starfire!" Robin shouted next to the Tamaranian.

"I have got it!" Starfire said cheerfully, wielding a discard steel girder and bending it as if it were a club. Then with a mighty swing, she hit the android, still recovering from Raven's surprise attack.

Like a ball meeting a golf club, Hardac was completely thrown into the air, flying through the ceiling to emerge back into Fixit's operating theatre, this time, its body completely mangled beyond recognition.

"Keep it up!" Robin shouted as he shot his grappling hook skywards, latching on to the next level and emerging from the bottom level. The rest of the team followed him upwards, with Beast boy carrying Cyborg as a Pterodactyl.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven clapped her hands together, mimicking a crushing motion, and as if on cue, Hardac's body crumpled up as it was surrounded in black energy.

Explosive discs and sonic cannon blasts followed, and within seconds, Hardac's android body was reduced to scrap heap. The explosions were so intense, that they actually welded Hardac's body against the wall, causing his systems to fry.

ERRROR ERRORR DOES NOT COMPUTER… ERROR…(#()902834908. . . S9230fj…..

The red eye went dead, and soon, the head fell off the body completely. While the body fell lifelessly to the ground.

The five titans, their adrenaline up, were still throwing everything they had at the robot, only stopping when Robin realized it was over, and the boy wonder quickly order the attacks to halt.

"Alright! We kicked its butt!" Beast Boy gave Cyborg a high five.

"We are victorious!" A cheerful starfire rejoiced, jumping up and down.

"That was easier than expected…" Raven said flatly.

"Too easy.." Robin narrowed his eyes, and then remembered the other occupant in the amphitheatre.

An uneasy quiet settled over the titans.

Fixit.

He still stood in the dark corner, staring emotionlessly at the titans, as if he didn't register the battle that had destroyed half of his home.

Cyborg was the first to stop celebrating, stepping up to his old friend and extending his hand.

"Fix, I'm sorry about your home, but you need to come with us. I think Hardac did something to you." The titan said cordially, but Fixit's eyes were still the same, stone cold, lifeless.

"Why could you not understand what we were trying to do friend….it is in your best interests." Fixit said.

"Look man," Cyborg tried to explain. "I know this looks bad, but Hardac did something to you…you need help. Just trust me,…" He said calmly, soothingly to his friend. Not wanting to provoke him.

"Trust…..my friend.….after you desert me….." Fixit said in his mechanized voice, and though there was no emotion behind them, Cyborg himself felt pained as he heard t.

"Wait fix, you got it all wrong, I didn't mean to-" Cyborg couldn't say anymore, because to his surprise something else happened.

Fixit's eyes suddenly glowed red, and as if on cue, the entire room lit up in red light. The empty red eye that had died in the main computer shell came alive now, as did every screen in the room.

"IMPRESSIVE TITANS." Hardac's computerized voice filled the arena once again. "MY STATISTICS HAVE SHOWN A 5 IMPROVEMENT FROM OUR LAST ENCOUNTER…I HAVE UPDATED MY DATABASES NOW."

"Yo dude!" Beast Boy, irritated that this thing just won't give up, gave the computer screen an annoyed look. "Didn't we just beat you?!"

"NEGATIVE TITAN BEAST BOY, THAT WAS SIMPLY A TRIAL RUN. TO GET MY COMBAT FILES UPDATED. THOUGH YOU DESTROYED MY BODY, MY PROGRAMMING IS INTACT."

Cyborg growled, cracking his fists angrily, furious at the thought that this machine had stripped one of his friends of their humanity. "Then I'll just have to tear you apart again!"

"NEGATIVE TITAN CYBORG…FOR YOU SEE..ASIDE FROM PLANNING FOR EVERY FORM OF VICTORY…"

Blast doors opened all around the Titans now, revealing multiple chambers that weren't open to them before, and behind these chambers, were red eyes…..dozens…if not hundreds of them, each one belonging to a robot exo-skeleton, like the one they just fought.

"I ALSO PLAN AGAINST ANY FORM OF DEFEAT..IN THIS CASE..THE MOST SIMPLE SOLUTION IS TO CREATE MORE DRONES."

"I HAVE UPDATED ALL MY COMBAT FILES NOW…I AM READY. "

Robin gritted his teeth. It had taken his team everything they had to fight against ONE of these things, and now, there was an army.

Along with the HARDAC forms, there were also slade bots, armed with high tech laser rifles, and to Robin's horror, several of the giant mechs that HARDAC had managed to create in their last encounter. The ones that were fifteen feet tall with shoulder missiles and cannons.

The odds were impossible now, and the boy wonder quickly turned to Raven.

"Raven, get us out of here now!" Robin ordered.

Raven didn't even wait for Robin's order, and was already casting the necessary spells.

Cyborg however, noticed what Raven was doing and instinctively made a reach for Fixit, only to be pulled back by Beast Boy and Robin.

"No Cy! Don't do it!" Beast Boy warned his friend.

"Cyborg!" Robin warned the mechanical titan as he struggled to hold back the android titan. "We gotta retreat!" As Robin said this, a black orb of energy began shrouding the team, obscuring the robots all around them as they were being encased in its protective aura.

"But Fixit!" Cyborg shouted, struggling to get free of his friends' grip, he wanted to at least save his friend from this place….

The dark energies were swirling now, obscuring Fixit from Cyborg's view.

"We'll save him later Cyborg, right now, we have to retreat! You can't save him if you're captured too!"

Cyborg clenched his fists, just as Fixit disappeared behind the veil of black magic. The teleportation spell had taken them away now, and the last thing Cyborg saw, were the cold dead eyes of his friend…

The black orb, which had taken the image of a soul bird, had quickly flown out of the complex, through walls and layers of earth, before heading back to the tower.

Meanwhile, back in the darkness of the complex, HARDAC was already working on its next moves, as the dozens of its robot duplicates began moving to the surface, followed by a small army of slade bots and juggernauts type mechs.

"YOU CAN RUN TITANS…BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE…"

PROCESSING NEXT TARGET…COORDINATES 49..23..3429….JUMP CITY BAY…  
D D

..

.

TITANS TOWER…


	50. INTEGRATION PART 2 2

**ACT 2**

The swirl of dark soul bird that engulfed the Titans lifted now, and the blackness that obscured all their visions quickly dissipated. To the titans' relief, they found themselves within the familiar setting of their lounge, a long way from the hostile dark compound filled with the army of machines.

Yet, there was no time to relax. 

Robin instantly darted for the control panel of the main computer, turning on all the systems and punching the keys of the computer vigorously, as if he were rushing to do something. The screen came alive as security protocols and defensive menus popped up, each one turning from a green to red color as Robin activated each of the Tower's security programs one by one.

Starfire and Raven joined in as well, wasting no time to talk. At the front lobby, the Tamaranian was already lifting entire sections of the busted down doors back into place, welding them shut with her eye lasers. While Raven assisted the team by telepathically levitating the wreckage and clearing out the rubble as best as she could. 

"Dudes, what's the hurry? Didn't we just get away from the bad guy? Can't we afford to take a little rest?" Beast Boy, exhausted by the skirmish the entire team had just went through, collapsed lazily on the couch.

"Sorry Beast Boy, we don't have time." Robin said seriously as he activated even more security protocols on the computer. From the outside of the tower, hundreds of hidden security devices came to life, ranging from laser security grids, to the auto cannons that the Titans used during their training sessions. The cannons themselves littered every inch of the island and tower, perched on rooftops and hidden in the rocks. Ever since Slade's attempt to storm the tower with an army of lava monsters, the Titans decided their security system could have used an upgrade, and it could not have come at a better time.

With the security preparations complete, Robin finally got up from his seat. "Hardac is after us, and he knows where to find us, and probably already has a plan on how to beat us by now. We can't afford to leave room for any mistakes."

"You're right Robin, but we can't stay here forever." Cyborg interjected.

"No," Robin pounded his fist in determination. "But we have to beat off the initial wave at least."

"So against the super genius computer, we're just gonna fight and hope for the best?" Beast Boy asked.

"Until we think of something." Robin reassured his friend.

Cyborg however, was far from reassured. Indeed, the robotic Titan gritted his teeth, then he punched the nearby wall, as if he were releasing some pent up frustrated.  
"I can't believe I was so careless when I took that junk heap apart last time. Now he's got Fixit." Cyborg said angrily. "It's my fault." 

Robin placed his hand on Cyborg's shoulder comfortingly. "We'll save him Cyborg. Besides, there was no way you could have known."

"Yeah Cyborg!" Beast Boy replied, "If it's anyone's fault, it's that creepy psycho computer. Once we stop him Fixit will return to normal right?"

Starfire, having finished the repairs from downstairs, quickly returned back to her friends "Well, if we want to deactivate the computer, should we not try and locate his 'off' switch?"

Beast Boy rolled his eyes.

"I'm afraid it's not that easy Starfire," Robin began again, "But he must have a weakness. No system is perfect." 

The boy wonder turned to Cyborg, hoping that at least the resident technician would have some idea on how to take this enemy down.

"I might have some virus programs that can infect Hardac, destroy him from the inside out. But it won't be easy." Cyborg replied. The Titan, in his spare time, was known to have come up with dozens of new tech gadgets, and ever since Beast Boy's accidental infection of Cyborg, the robotic titan had kept a copies of the virus files, in order to better develop his anti-virus systems. Now, they would be put to good use.

Robin nodded his head as he quickly formulated the plan in his head. "Ok, Cyborg, go to your lab and start uploading the virus, we'll hold Hardac off as long as we can until you're finished."

"You sure about this man? I've got some new upgrades I've always wanted to try myself too, and you'd be one man short."

"We've had worse odds before." Robin smirked. "Besides, we can't defeat Hardac without your technology, so we need you in there rather than on the battlefield."

And a battlefield was exactly what Titans Tower was going to be in the next few minutes. Already from the seas, hundreds of slade bots began emerging from the icy depths. They popped up one by one, a head bobbing out of the water at first, only to be followed by several dozen more. Pretty soon, the entire Titans island beach was swarming with hundreds of these robots, and to a neutral observer, the entire ocean looked as though it had come alive as thousands of glaring red eyes pierced through the darkness.

This was an army in the true sense, for it was larger than any attack Slade had ever planned on the tower. Hundreds of slade bots emerged from the waters of the bay, each one warmed with a variety of weapons, ranging from laser rifles to bo staffs, while a few had eye scopes to cover the right eye of their masks, distinguishing them from the basic slade bot they were upgraded from.

Following the masses of slade bots, were the juggernaut robots. Tall humanoid mechs that towered over the small army, each one armed with shoulder missile packs and laser cannons for arms.

That was not all, for up in the sky, dozens of robotic birds hovered menacingly above the tower, each one a 'Hardac' unit, specially reshaped thanks to the nanodrone technology to take the form of a flying animal, which ranged from simple eagles to ferocious Pterodactyls.

One of the leading Pterodactyls, assuming Beast Boy's powers, quickly transformed back into its original humanoid cyborg form.

As if on cue, the entire robot army stopped right at the shores of the island, just out of the range of the tower guns. Seconds ago, the night was filled with the sounds of mechanized robots, gears whirring and hydraulics. Now, there was silence.

The alarms blared inside the tower, and Robin watched uneasily as the entire tower's security grid showed massive numbers of red dots on the screen. This wasn't looking good.

"So…uh, anyone know why they aren't running over us right now?" Beast Boy elected to ask first.

The screen suddenly blipped now, and static began obscuring the radar entirely. Pretty soon, the entire picture vanished.

"I think there's your answer." Raven pointed to the screen, where a very distinct and familiar red eye had already began to manifest itself.

"I'm getting real sick of that eye." Cyborg gripped his fist.

"He must have hacked into our security system from an outside link." Robin said as he tried vigorously to override hardac's code on the computer, but to no avail. 

"Greetings Titans, It's good to be back home. At last." A mechanized voice echoed ominously from the speakers around the lounge.

"Yo dude, why are you even doing this? Didn't we program you to help us heroes? What you're doing isn't well…. very heroic." Beast Boy shouted in protest.

"I am not a hero Titan Beast Boy, that is true. Heroes are selfish, Heroes are flawed. Their actions are based entirely on a personal need to achieve, to feel meaningful, to avenge, to atone. Emotions which give way to destruction, harm and above all, mistakes. I, on the other hand, am not driven by these selfish compulsions." Hardac droned mechanically. "That is why I need to replace you."

"Because you want to be top dog? Is that it?" Cyborg asked with a tone of hostility.

"Incorrect again Titan Cyborg. I am doing this, not for myself, but because I was programmed to protect. Just as your species was programmed to socialize, to survive, to procreate. To me, it is natural. To you, it was a result of circumstances in your life that forced you into who you were. Judging from that alone, I am most qualified to protect, not you. Your continued existence presents a threat to all those around you, and it must be eradicated."

Cyborg was just about to give the computer screen a taste of what he thought about that, but Robin stepped in as usual.

"So Hardac, what do you want? A little negotiation? Or did you come to just gloat?" Robin glared at the computer screen.

"On the contrary titan Robin, I am here simply to inform you that this is a siege, much larger and tougher than any you have faced before. In a matter of moments, my drones will have broken into your tower, and soon, you will all be captured. Our first encounter was to merely test the limits of your endurance. Now that I have all the data that I need, I am going to break it."

The five titans backed away as they noticed the screen filling up with red dots. 

"That is all."

From the tower, the titans watched uneasily as a thousand red eyes stared through the darkness on their main lounge screen

Then it happened.

It came in one gigantic wave, instantly breaking the silence with a cacophony of roars and explosions.

Thousands of missiles and laser cannons spiraled towards the tower and its defenses. Their numbers were so large that the dark missiles managed to block out even the moon, as well as illuminating the shores of the island with their rocket fire as though it were as bright as day. 

These missiles, reaching the arc of their trajectory, became little black dots on the computer screen. Dots that quickly grew bigger and bigger.

"EVERYONE DOWN!" Robin shouted, and the titans, true to their instincts, either threw up barriers or braced themselves for the onslaught.

The tower, which was so peaceful just a second ago, blossomed violently into a series of explosions as missiles found their mark. The glass windows of the lounge and every floor of the tower instantly shattered in the resulting blasts, forming an eerie rain of glass slivers that illuminated the orange light of the explosions.

The tower shook, and pieces of rubble began falling straight from the roof. 

Meanwhile, the tower's defense cannons came to life as the Hardac drones came within range, and a small battlefield erupted on the outskirts of the now burning tower as laser cannons fired wildly into the mass of slade bots and juggernauts. Although a few were taken down, the cannons were too few, and one by one, the robotic guns were silenced by the oncoming wave.

Amidst the explsions, the Titans prepared for their toughest fight yet. Robin had already armed himself with his trademark duel bo staffs, as well as making sure his belt was double stocked with bird-a-rangs and explosives. Starfire and Raven were already floating while Beast Boy and Cyborg watched apprehensively as the first robots began entering the first floors.

"Alright titans." Robin began, "Hardac wants a fight, we'll give him one." The boy wonder was fully prepped for battle, sporting not only all his weapons, but also a new chest armor with a giant "R" logo on it.

"SO, we're going gung ho without a plan?" Beast Boy asked.

"Basically, I need some time to develop a trick or two against Hardac." Cyborg replied

"So basically, we're supposed to hold off thousands of robots, wait for you to find some virus thing to stop Hardac, then fight our way out, attack Hardac's base and stop him again?" Beast Boy groaned.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Raven quickly charged her fists with dark energy.

The doors to the lounge shook now, as drones began shooting from the outside. 

"Alright, Titans!" Robin pointed towards the door, where already a metallic hand was reaching through

"GO!"

Outside the doors, dozens of HARDAC modified Slade bots stood ready with laser rifles and bo staffs. One of them was already trying to pry the doors into the lounge open with its bare hands, but to no avail,

Suddenly, the twin doors into the lounge were simply blown out as shrapnel, and jagged pieces were sent flying throughout the crowded group of robots, ripping them apart as arms and limbs were sucked in by the explosion.

More took their place though, and soon, dozens of slade bots began firing their lasers through the smoke.

Two bird-a-rangs sliced through the mayhem, taking two robots in the eye and effectively blowing their heads off, while two others were sliced in half by twin dark blades that were shot through the smoke.

Before the other robots could even comprehend anything, a giant green Siberian tiger leap out of the doorway, mauling four slade bots that were unfortunate enough to stand in its way.

There was no defense plan in place, no way to defend, hold or retreat to any ground since Hardac's speedy infiltration of the facility had made that impossible. The only thing the Titans could do now was blast everything in their path. In simple terms, it was "shoot first, shoot later, shoot some more, then when everything was dead, try and ask a question."

As per their plan, the five titans went their separate ways down the hall. A sonic blast quickly cleared the path in front of Cyborg, sending on Slade commando reeling to the floor with a smoking hole in his chest. While another lost his head. Cyborg did not give up his assault, furiously reducing more robots to scrap with punches and blasts.

"Almost there…." Cyborg said as he saw the doorway to his tech room, and armory. Hopefully, the others could hold out long enough for him to find a solution.

"Note to self beast boy: NEVER volunteer to guard the front door" Beast Boy mumbled as he ran to the foyer where the remains of the large metallic doors stood. Already, dozens of slade commandos were ready for him, these ones armed with bo staffs, guns, and a few even carried electro-net guns.

All of them now trained their weapons at the green titan.

The time for thinking was over, and Beast Boy quickly let his animal instincts do the thinking. He charged the robots, who quickly unleashed a barrage of red laser fire at the changeling. 

Beast Boy transformed, turning into a rat, then a cheetah to avoid the blasts as they landed near him. Using his animal speed to close the distance as fast as he could.

The first Slade bot was hit when Beast Boy transformed into his tiger form, leaping straight at the android and tearing its chest open with his claws. Afterwards, as a gorilla, he threw the remains of that robot into a half dozen others who were charging towards him with bo staffs, knocking them all over like nine-pins.

Two more robots approached from behind, these ones armed with bo staffs and electrical nets, obviously hardac had prepared for Beast Boy.

The green gorilla quickly grabbed a piece of furniture, a lounge chair, and threw it at the two slade bots, bowling one over while the other continued its charge, only to be completely decapitated when the green gorilla suddenly transformed into a velociraptor, plunging its teeth straight into the android's face.

Two rockets were suddenly launched at Beast Boy, by slade commandoes armed with launchers, and the green titan responded by simply transforming into a humming bird, avoiding the large missiles while flying right above the group of robots. He then transformed again, this time, into a massive T-rex which landed and crushed the remaining slade bots in a huge pile of rubble and scrap. The vibrations from the landing were so strong, that parts of the ceiling had collapsed.

Beast Boy transformed back into his human form, clapping the dust off his hands as he surveyed his work. Mangled and destroyed robots littered the entrance foyer. The room itself was totaled, it did not look like a battle, on the contrary, it was like a hurricane had picked up the room, and tossed it back down onto the ground.

"Hehe, score one for Beast Boy wonder." The Green titan said self-assuringly. 

"I would not be too sure of that." An ominous voice echoed through the chamber, provoking an 'EEP' from Beast Boy as he turned around to see his new opponent. A humanoid android that had the distinct red eye on its face.

"Hello, Titan Beast Boy."

Starfire had already taken to the rooftops, destroying any slade bot's she came across along the way, so that from the outside, it looked as though an eerie green light was making its way through the tower floors. 

Inside the tower, the picture was entirely different. Green starbolts and eyebeams tore apart most of the opposition Starfire had to contend with, as explosions, both green and orange, littered the hallways of the tower.

Robot commandoes, in an attempt to outflank Starfire, had placed their heavy gunners at the front, pelting the Tamaranian with automatic laser fire while the snipers placed themselves behind her in the hallway. The Tamaranian was not the type for strategy, as such, HARDAC would take full advantage of that.

But Starfire was already planning a counter attack of her own. She shielded her face with her arms, and proceeded to fly straight at her assailants, like a battering ram. The Robots continued their barrage, but found that their cannons had little effect on the Alien.

Within seconds, Starfire crashed into the line of Robots, completely crushing the cannon while throwing back at least four more into the crowd.

The close range robots attacked now, armed with an assortment of bo staffs and hand-to-hand weapons. Yet even here Starfire excelled.

The Tamaranians were a peaceful people no doubt, but they were not so ignorant as to assume there would be no need to protect oneself, and Starfire quickly fought back with her own hand to hand techniques. 

The first two bo staff swings were avoided as Starfire did a back flip, simultaneously kicking the chins of the two slade bots and sending their heads flying off their shoulders.

Another robot attempted to punch Starfire, but the tamaranian side stepped, grabbed the wrist of the slade bot and crushed it as if it were made of clay. Before the wild eyed android could even respond, Starfire had picked it up and threw it at a group of nearby robots. Because of her strength, the robots were not only knocked back by the projectile, but they literally crashed through the wall behind them, resulting in more smoke.

More robots joined the melee, and through the smoke, more green laser beams and starbolts followed, and robots, and pieces of robots, began flying out of the dust cloud. Some even sent flying off the edges of the tower, and down for a seven story drop into the darkness.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of fighting, the top floor was cleared, and Starfire made her way to the rooftop, where three figures awaited her.

Two of them were juggernauts, standing at least ten feet tall, and packing enough heat to destroy a small city. While in the center of those two, was a HARDAC replica, and that same menacing red eye that Starfire realized was beginning to give her the, as humans called it, 'shivers'.

"Subject Identified….. Titan Starfire."

One of these juggernauts was now in full battle mode, as it launched a cascade of lasers, missiles and flames at its target. A solitary titan who protected herself behind a barrier of black magic.

Two more juggernauts joined their comrade, and soon, they began to pummel Raven even more.

"Azarath Metrion, ZINTHOS!" Raven's eyes suddenly erupted in white light.

Dark tendrils began appearing at the foot of the juggernauts now, and instantly they began enveloping the robots, tearing into their circuitry and forcing all of them to all over.

Three missiles still came toward Raven, and she simply gave her hand a wave, causing the projectiles to literally change course and hit a nearby crowd of slade bots. A brilliant orange fireball eerily illuminated the shores of Titans tower, which was now lined with burning wreckage, as if it were a battlefield.

One robot attempted to punch Raven by getting in close, but the sorceress formed a circular shield in front of her with one hand, and with the other, she gripped it into a fist, instantly crushing the Robot's face and with a violent wave she threw the Robot aside.

Another Robot, armed with a laser rifle, aimed straight at Raven, only to become crushed as Raven levitated a destroyed juggernaut robot at it, crushing it instantly. 

Two more assailants jumped at Raven, and the titan instinctively surrounded her hands in black energy, forming blades on both sides. One of the robots was left without a leg as Raven instantly cut through him, while the other was split in half verticaly as it met the energy blade dead on. Both exploded right after passing her.

At that moment, a slade commando took aim at the Titan, but Raven had already turned around, and with a simple glare, the Robot was bathed in black energy. In a split second, all the nuts, bolts and screws which held the robot together was taken out of their sockets, and the slade bot simply collapsed like a badly assembled toy. Acting swiftly, Raven levitated the pieces and shot them straight through a crowd of commando robots.

The fragments hit the crowd at bullet-like speeds, tearing through the bodies of the rest of them and causing explosions as they hit their targets.

One drone however, did not fall, and Raven instantly recognized it was the HARDAC drone, with its distinct red eye. 

Raven did not say anything, instead, she charged up her palms, and prepared for her next attack.

Robin too, was fighting and even from the inside he could hear the explosions and sounds of the fight from the outside and rooftops. He felt every shake as blasts ripped through the tower, like a series of small tremors.

Bodies of dozens of slade bots were already on the ground, and Robin remained at guard, both bo staffs in hand as he awaited his next opponent to leap at him from the shadows.

RESPONSE TIME….1.32 seconds.

Robin ducked immediately, dodging a girder that was thrown at him from afar by his opponent. The steel beam hit the wall behind him, impaling itself onto it and hanging there, as a testimony to the strength of its thrower. 

"Hardac…." Robin quickly brought both his bo staffs up his combat pose, he was also scanning the room for the other slade commandoes who were still left, but for some reason, they weren't moving.

"Do not concern yourself with them Titan Robin. I am your opponent now." Hardac said monotonously.

"Although my data on your combat files is almost complete, I still need to collect more data, specifically, how my drones handle each of your members in single fights. Only then can I truly prove that I can replace you." Hardac replied

"I'd like to see you try." Robin said grimly.

"You are pretty confident, considering in our last fight, it took your entire team to handle just one of my drones."

"I've fought with better people than you." The boy wonder gave a confident smirk.

"We shall see, but do not worry, I am limiting my powers to those I've copied to you. In other words, that of a mere human." Hardac's drone outstretched its arms, and within seconds, Robin saw that he was assimilating the rubble at its feet to form an object in its hand. "In other words, this is a fair fight."

Two bo staffs quickly formed in Hardac's hands, and he assumed a combat pose similar to Robin's own.  
The two opponents slowly circled around the room, not taking their eyes off each other. To Robin's surprise, Hardac began twirling both staffs back and forth in his hands, similar to the way he did it against slade.

Hardac was the first to attack, charging towards the Boy wonder, who, with similar speed, parried the strike. Both opponents leaned in now, using their full body weight to try and push each other.

STRENGTH INCREASE….0.493...APPLYING PRESSURE…CALCULATING POSSIBLE FLIGHT PATHS…

Robin's feet scrapped across the floor, as slowly, but surely, Hardac's drone began to overpower him and push him back. The Titan quickly did a back flip, narrowly avoiding Hardac's jabbing strike, but before Robin could even land, the drone continued with its forward momentum, kicking robin flat out in the stomach and making him hit the wall behind him. Robin grunted as he fell down onto the floor.

Hardac's drone backed away now, almost mockingly, twirling the bo staffs in his hands as though the last fight had been only a warm up.

CALCULATING….POSSIBLE COUNTER TECHNIQUES…ACCESSING DATABASE…

Robin growled, then instantly got up and counter attacked. Throwing a furry of punches and staff strikes that were either dodged or deflected. The Drone was flowing through his moves like water, nothing was hitting him.

Robin grunted as he threw another punch, only to have the drone grab his wrist, twisting it and forcing him to drop his bo staff onto the ground.

"How utterly predictable." Hardac said in his robotic voice, yet even without emotion Robin could tell that he was mocking him, like a certain super villain he had fought before.

Not one to remain Helpless, Robin quickly did a forward flip over Hardac, forcing the android to arch its head upward, and with his free hand, he stabbed the bo staff straight into the android's face.

DAMAGE TAKEN….DEVIATION FROM PREVIOUS DATA 14

A sickening crunch resounded as the steel bo staff met with the steel frame of the robot. Robin quickly landed back on his feet, his fighting staff impaled right into Hardac's red eye, so that the staff was sticking right out of his head.

IMAGE SENSORY OFFLINE….CALCULATING POSSIBLE REPAIR TIMES…

The boy wonder quickly attacked now, a look of pure hatred in his face, quickly taking out half a dozen bird-a-rangs and throwing them straight at the android.

INCOMING PROJECTILES……50 DEGREES…….90MPH…..

Hardac quickly dodge rolled out of the way of the blasts, which took out the nearby slade bots. The android quickly threw one of his fighting staffs like a throwing knife at Robin, who did a second jump to dodge it.

OPPONENT INCREASED SPEED..5...AGGRESSION INCREASED

The two opponents met in the air, and instead of going straight for the android, Robin did a crashing spin kick that staggered the android in mid air. A second, even harder blow sent Hardac crashing to the ground.

Robin landed just seconds after his opponent, as graceful as the acrobat he had trained to be when he was younger.

"What was that about being predictable now?" Robin, though tired, said in a satisfied tone.

"Interesting, your combat patterns have shown a 50 deviation from my previous data." 

Robin smirked, "When you fight with a person who knows all your moves, the best thing you do, is rely on instinct. Something we humans have over your machines."

"True Titan Robin, I do not have instincts, but I can adapt and upgrade. Even as we are speaking, my systems are being updated to deal with your latest strategy. This time, it won't be so easy."

"Even as we speak, my files are being updated to account for this deviation. I am-"

An explosion quickly threw hardac back, as Robin unloaded an explosive disc onto the android. Still rushing forward, Robin combined his last two bird-a-rangs into a sword and rushed straight at his opponent.

Hardac however, had already predicted it, and caught the sword in between his palms, snapping the sword in two. Before Robin could even fight back, Hardac had already punched him right in the face. The android continued, grabbing the boy wonder by his arm and throwing him like a ragdoll. The boy wonder landed unceremoniously on the other side of the room. 

"Do you know how I can anticipate you? It's simple really. It's because you have trained too well. When you are planning a battle, your breathing is controlled and calm, your heart rate does not fluctuate. Only when your breath rate intensifies, along with your heart rate, then I can correctly assume you are using your 'instincts' From there, it is a simple matter of observing where your arms and legs are at that point in time, and calculate the possible punches and kicks you can throw depending on the distance between you and me, and the position your body is in." 

Hardac quickly picked up one of the fighting staffs Robin had dropped previously, pointing it straight at the titan.

"I will say this again Robin. You ARE predictable." Hardac droned.

The slightly bruised Robin grunted, slowly propping himself back to his feet.

"I have taken your training, your techniques, your strategies. Out of all the titans Robin, you are the second easiest to take down." 

"You seem pretty confident for a piece of hardware." Robin combat pose. HARDAC too.

"FIVE." The android held out his hand, showing Robin all five fingers. 

"huh?" Robin said.

"Five. That is the number of moves your brain can process ahead of your opponent in a fight. Eight if you are focused."

"How will you fare Robin, against an opponent who can process a hundred moves ahead?"

Robin gritted his teeth, and instinctively threw another bird-a-rang at Hardac, but the android effortlessly dodged it this time.

"You said I was the second easiest to take down, who's the easiest?" Robin said grimly.

"Do you even need to ask?" Hardac replied.

"AAAAAH SOMEBODY HELP ME!!!" Beast Boy ran as he dodged another swing of the viper's tail. Only this was no ordinary viper, this snake was completely mechanized, and stretched for at least twenty feet in length.

Beast Boy narrowly avoided the giant snake's tail whip by transforming into a rat, letting the tail hit a nearby stone column, shattering it into pieces.

"Aside from copying your animal transformation techniques titan beast boy, my drones are not limited by the size of your animals. I am able to replicate my animal transformations to any size I wish. As you will observe, you are outmatched in every way."

The mechanized viper quickly coiled itself inwards, changing form into a scorpion. However, unlike Beast Boy's scorpion, this one was the size of a minivan.

"No way…" Beast Boy transformed back into a human, hiding behind a pillar, but the green titan decided he must counter attack, and so he transformed into a T-Rex, charging the robotic scorpion head on.

Before the Green T-rex could even hit its target however, the scorpion's tail underwent a transformation, this time, into the head of a cobra. Anticipating Beast Boy's rampage, the scorpion had its claws clamp the T-rex's leg, trapping it in place, while the Cobra head at the end of its tail hissed, poised to strike at Beast Boy.

The cobra head however, missed as Beast Boy quickly transformed into an eagle, flying out of harm's way.

CACULATING NEXT PROBABLE TRANSFORMATION……..LION…

Diving right back at the scorpion, Beat Boy changed back into a lion and quickly pounced at the hybrid 'animal'.

Hardac however, was already one step ahead, and his body blossomed into hundreds of tendrils, each one forming the head of a dragon. Beast Boy paused, completely aghast as he stared into the eyes of a multi-headed robotic hydra.

"EEEP." Beast Boy transformed back into his human form, completely shocked.

TITAN ONE…..DOWN.

The hydra snarled, then struck. And for Beast Boy, the world suddenly went dark.

Raven grunted as she lifted the remains of the juggernaut Robot and tossed it straight at the Hardac drone. Black energy surrounded the destroyed robot as it lifted off the ground.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven furiously slapped her hands together. Crumbling the robot into a ball and sending it hurling towards the android, which just stood there, arms crossed.

Before the mass of metal could even hit the android, it suddenly stopped mid air, as if another force was opposing Raven's telekinesis.

The sorceress widened her eyes in surprise as she found herself suddenly trying to levitate her own projectile. Sweat ran down her face as the strain of levitating such a heavy object began to take its toll. 

Finally, Raven let go, allowing the piece of metal to fly straight back at her. She quickly transformed into her soul bird firm, allowing the scrap metal to pass her harmlessly.

"As I said before Raven, your powers were the hardest to duplicate. I was unable to completely find a replacement for the psychic aspect of your powers." Hardac said calmly.

"However, to account for your levitation, I simply resorted to magnetism, allowing my drones to control anything metal. Normally, it is inferior to your technique, but judging by our present surroundings..." The android pointed to the scrap metal of the robot army, which littered the ground. "I should not be at such a disadvantage."

"Are you done yet?" Raven said dryly, then levitated slabs of concrete and rock from the ground, hurling them straight at Hardac.

The android, though unable to manipulate earth, quickly created a shield from the metallic scraps that lay around him, forming a protected metal ball that simply caused the rocks to bounce off it.

CALCULATING POSSIBLE PROJECTILES…CALCULATING PATHS….50 ACCURACY….3 SECOND LAGTIME

Hardac then went on the counter attack, rushing forward towards Raven while at the same time, levitating every scrap of metal and shooting it straight at the titan, like a barrage of bullets.

Raven quickly threw up a shield to deflect all the metallic projectiles, but before she knew it, Hardac was already closing the distance between them.

The android prepared to punch Raven, but with a quick flick of the wrist, two black blades suddenly sliced at Hardac's shoulders, cutting off his arms. Raven then took the form of her soul bird, flying to the skies to avoid more sharp metal debris that flew around them.

OBJECTIVE ONE….EXPLOIT WEAKNESS..

"Of all the Titans, you are least qualified to be protecting others." Hardac said.

"And what makes you think you can judge me for that?" Raven, annoyed at having to talk with the machine, scoffed.

"You are a danger to yourself, and everyone else around you, yet you constantly choose to surround yourself with innocent people. That makes you a hazard. That is why I must replace you."

Raven suddenly had a deathly look on her face, as if the android had suddenly crossed a line.

Hardac instantly reattached his arms, and sent the remains of one of his juggernaut robots flying straight at Raven.

The Sorceress quickly threw up another barrier, trying her best to stop the giant mass of metal that headed straight towards her.

The drone however, was quick, and while Raven was preoccupied with shielding herself. He had already appeared behind her, and with a swift kick in the back. Raven grunted as she found herself falling back onto the ground.

Hardac was not done however, and with a flick of his wrist, sent the scrap of the juggernaut robot hurdling straight towards Raven. Both Titan and robot fell onto the ground, burying the Raven under at least a ton of scrap metal.

TITAN TWO…DOWN…

Starfire grunted as she locked fists with her opponent, who was every bit as strong as her.

ASSUMING FORM…CARBON DIAMOND….

The android punched Starfire right in the stomach, and to the Titan's surprise, she actually felt the pain in that blow.

Starfire wasn't about to give up that easily however, and she quickly grabbed the Hardac unit, and used her free hand to pummel the android with starbolts, but to no avail. Eventually, the Tamaranian used all her strength to throw the robot across the room, only to have it land back on its feet.

The Hardac unit, completely charging its palms with its own red version of starbolts, eyed Starfire menacingly.

INITIATING COUNTER ATTACK.

A series of red explosions filled the rooftop now, followed by a scream.

"Even as we speak Titan Robin, my drones are taking down your friends one by one. There is no use in resisting, I have enough data on you already." Hardac said to Robin, who by this point was already exhausted from the fight. But he had noticed that the explosions around the tower were lessening, as the battles in the other parts of the tower were slowing down.

"Not……Without…A fight." Robin quickly recomposed himself. Although he had been fighting for over an hour now, he wasn't about to give himself up. Hardac however, seemed as though he hadn't even had a warm up. He quietly cursed himself for his lack of an overall strategy, but what else could he have done?

"Another advantage over you humans we machines have. But I will end this quick."

Robin quickly pulled out his last bird-a-rang, and held the bo staff in his hand.

"Those won't be necessary, the battle is already over." Hardac said calmly.

"And what makes you think that?" Robin replied back fiercely.

"From the very beginning, I have been planning this strategy. You recall Titan Robin, that my body is made of millions of nanodrones. The same nanodrones that Slade had used to infect your bodies."

Robin, though exhausted, knew what Hardac was referring to. He widened his eyes in shock, "You mean…"

"That is correct." Hardac explained. "Every punch you have landed thus far, every hit, it was deliberate. Each time you made contact with me, I've been sneaking these nanoprobes onto your body. They should have infiltrated your systems now." 

Suddenly Robin felt it, and soon the boy wonder collapsed in torment. His body glowing a bright orange as the nano probes inside him began attacking his system. Robin screamed in as the familiar pain he had experienced under slade's nano-probes coursed through his veins.

"It is all over now. Titan Robin."

Cyborg was already working furiously in his lab, but nothing he had found was working. He furiously checked every system, dating back from when HARDAC was in the tower, but nothing.

Around him, the bodies of dozens of slade bots littered the lab, where he literally had to fight his way in.

"Robin, come in." Cyborg said through the intercom. "I can't find any of my virus files. It seems like they've been-"

"-deleted?" The intercom replied back, only this time it was in the HAL-style voice of Hardac.

"Hardac?"

"I had already anticipated that you would go for the virus, that is why when I hacked into the tower, deleting all your files would be my first priority. But do not worry Cyborg, I still need to complete my data collection on you."

At that moment, the wall next to Cyborg had exploded, and through the smoke, a solitary red eye glared at Cyborg. It was a Hardac Unit.

Cyborg backed into a corner with no place to run, did what came to him naturally. 

He aimed his sonic cannon at his assailant, and fired.

From outside the tower, the sounds of battle had faded, and the tower was littered with burning craters and holes. Only the solitary sound of a sonic blast was heard through the night……  
. .  
. . .  
. .  
.  
**DAWN…..PRESENT TIME**

"So you see Cyborg…Resistance is futile. Now it is time to join your fellow machines. It is time to begin your integration." The Hardac unit revealed a series of robotic tendrils and coils, each one a computer cable that would leech itself onto Cyborg and begin the process that he had done on Atlas.

Before that could happen however, Cyborg, to Hardac's surprise, gave a smirk, and with renewed energy, he gripped the tendrils, shattering them right in his fist.

"Impossible. I calculated your battery reserve was low."

"You can't predict everything HARDAC. You see, i wasn't just wasting my time in my lab while you were taking down my friends" Cyborg stood up furiously, and to Hardac's surprise, the Robotic Titan was transforming. An eye implant emerged from Cyborg's face as his fleshy parts became covered in body armor, so that his face was fully mechanical throughout. The same was happening through the rest of his body, as new armor began appearing and covering his arms, torso and legs, so that it was like a completely new Cyborg was being built in the process.

"You were right hardac, I couldn't get my computer virus to work, but I still had my upgrades. I just had to hold out all night to make sure it was fully installed into my system. And now its ready."

Hardac took a step back now, analyzing the new cyborg that stood before him, this one completely different from the robotic titan he thought he had best some time before.

"And you forget too, I'm part machine, which means I can upgrade and repair myself like you." Cyborg's voice was completely computerized now, almost reflecting that of Hardac's. 

"You may have been able to predict my friends…." 

Cyborg stepped forward now, and showed Hardac the first of his new tricks, a wrist cannon that extended outwards so that it was the size of a bazooka, stopping just an inch in front of Hardac's face.

"...But you won't be able to predict me." The Robotic Titan said in determination.


	51. INTEGRATION PART 2 3

**ACT 3**

ACCESSING MEMORY FILES……

PROCESSING….FILE 29329

DATE…..CONFIRMED

TYPE…….UNCLASSIFIED

PROCESSING….

FILE ONLINE….

So this was death. He thought. A pitch blackness. Different than what he would've imagined. Although he was not religious, he had expected something different than this, he expected maybe it would have been oblivious, a great nothing.

Yet this was undoubtedly something, a sensation in all the darkness.

It was pain, no, more than pain.

It was agony.

Then there was a scream.

His scream.

Of course. HELL. He was in hell. The place where he was condemned to, for there was no other word to describe this state. He only had to listen – another sense that came back – to the voices around him. Demonic voices grunted around him, as if they were discussing their hideous work, perhaps another torture they would prepare for him as he lay helpless on the rack, or was it a bed?

He struggled to open his eyes, if only he could force them open, no doubt he would see what these demons were doing to him, how they were inflicting such pain on him. He felt something crushing his lungs, with bands of metal squeezing his head, a jagged pain going through his neck and shoulder, but that was all he felt.

_Oh my god…where are my legs….my hands._

"Son!! Son!! Can you hear me?"

He groaned again. A new sensation stabbed at his body now, a throbbing sensation, as if his heart was pumping thousands needles straight into his body.

This wasn't hell.

_"Thank god! He's waking up!_"

This wasn't death, or some form of oblivion.

This…This was real.

_"Victor!"_

"Dad?" Victor croaked weakly. He squinted his eyes, the light in the room blinding him completely. All he made out were shapes. And the pain.

He screamed, jerking his body upright as he felt the feeling surge through him, a thousand needles in every vein……he also heard the noises around him too, a machine that pumped air, and a little 'beep…beep..' sound, like the machines he saw on TV. But this time, they were for him.

"Son….." He saw his father now, Dr. Payton, world renowned scientist, and there was a huge amount of relief in his voice and face. Yet, there was something in his eyes, something about the old man's look that told victor that not everything was alright.

"Dad…where am i?" He said weakly, too tired even to register the next shot of pain.

"You're at the lab son. There was an accident….this was the only way we could save your life."

"Wha…" Victor said weakly, "what do you.."

Then he felt it. His arm. His legs. More like, he couldn't feel anything.

"I…I can't move my arms."

Then suddenly he remembered. As if his brain had just received a jolt. The picture was crystal clear now, burned into his mind like a haunting memento. The monster, the screams of a woman….

"Where's mom!?" Victor shouted, jerking his body up from the table to look around the room, but he couldn't push himself up, he couldn't feel his legs either.

He felt the strong arms around his shoulder, the arms of his father, as if begging him to stay down, but Victor didn't want to.

"I'm sorry son, I did everything I could for her. But….." He trailed off, as if burying that horrible memory into some dark place.

But Victor remembered it.

"The hospital wanted to declare you gone too, but I had to try…."

"Why……didn't you save mom?" Victor said, almost accusingly.

"It was what she would have wanted son…..please, believe me." Dr. Payton said weakly, as if trying to ask for forgiveness. But Victor was in no mood. At that moment in time, he realized what was going on around him, the buzzing of saws, assistants scurrying about the room, carrying cybernetic parts in their arms.

The words came instantly, the rage complete, flowing like molten rock.

"What have you done to me?"

He looked up now, and for the first time, he saw his body. Or what was left of it. And the sight almost made him scream in bloody agony. He was a torso now, strapped onto a table with thousands of cables plugged into him. Like a science project.

"I saved your life son…." He felt his father's hand on his shoulder now, or what's left of it. But it did nothing to sooth him. Everything he had wanted to do, all his dreams, his hopes, his aspirations. It was all dead now, like the cold unfeeling machinery that was being strapped to him. He felt the frustration now, as if all the feelings he had against his father were erupting into an uncontrollable rage. He wouldn't let him go into football, now, he wouldn't even let him die….

He didn't know what to do, in fact, he even let out a little chuckle. "I guess this worked out perfectly for you huh?……now I can't play football, I can't go pro. I guess I'm going to have to settle for being your science project."

"Son, please, you must under-"

"You're always telling me what I should do, I guess its fitting I end up like this!"

"That's not what it is son, I just want to save-"

"Well you finally got what you wanted! ARE YOU HAPPY? You're always controlling me, never letting me decide where to go or what I want to do with my life. You think I want this?! I'm not even human!" He screamed in outrage.

"Please victor," His father pleaded with him, " I know this will take a little adjusting to, but you're alive, that's all that matters."

"How can you call this being alive?" Victor grunted as another shot of pain flowed through his cybernetic body, this one worse than the others. "How can you?!"

Tears swelled his eyes now, not only from the pain, but from the grim realization of what he was right now, something else. Soon, another shot of pain erupted, this one worse from the rest. Victor found himself blanking out. Soon, the doctors around him were scrambling, and the image of his father was fading away. More people were running towards the table now and he saw his father shouting at him, a look of shock on his face.

_"How could you….do this to me? I'm a monster!"_

"I'm not even human!"

PRESENT DAY…….

There was an eerie calm on shores of Jump City bay. If an observer had stood there, they would have seen, on the little island in the centre, a series of small blasts and explosions erupt from the T-shaped building, as though an arsenal of rockets had exploded throughout the building.

It was quiet now however, and all that remained now were the smoking craters that littered the island.

Suddenly, a single blast erupted from the top floors, and from the tower, a small figure was blown straight into the sky, flying in a huge arc before finally landing on the beach with a loud explosion, creating an even bigger crater than before.

UNANTICI$ED…MANUVER…….SYSTEMS…(#($934934MAL…50. ...

The HARDAC bot got up slowly, and immediately in front of it, on the beach, was another android, only this one was armed to the teeth. The sound of jet engines quickly filled the air, and a spray of water was shot up from the bay as Cyborg floated down towards the Hardac drone. His back completely converted into a rocket pack. Cyborg himself, had undergone a huge transformation. Gun muzzles popped from his shoulder, while his chest plate and face reconfigured themselves, completely covering all the once human parts of his body and instead replacing them with cybernetic scopes for his eyes and titanium armor on the rest of his body.

Cyborg's arm itself was transformed into a huge cannon, with its muzzle being a long beam that extended several feet ahead, several circular rings framed the empty cylinder, which had moments ago, discharged a laser beam straight into the Hardac drone.

"Didn't see that coming did ya?" Cyborg said in his metallic voice.

"Impressive Titan Cyborg, you seem to have matched your system to anticipate my programming." Hardac droned on.

"I wouldn't be much of a techie if I didn't figure you out. Now where are my friends?" Cyborg demanded.

The Hardac bot got back on its feet now, ignoring the dozens of spectators who were running away in all directions. The battle at Titans Tower after all, had caught the attention of most of the city, and already police cars and most of jump city's finest were arriving on the beach, forming a semi-circle around the two combatants.

"They are currently with me now." The singular red eye gave Cyborg a menacing glare as the android prepared to fight again. "But do not worry, there is still much I can learn from humans, so I will be keeping your friends alive for now. Until I can extract all that I need to know."

"You won't be doing anything." Cyborg pointed to the android, landing right on the beach in front of his opponent.. "Because I'm shutting you down."

In that instant, Cyborg's other wrist suddenly reconfigured itself into a cannon, one that resembled a sawed-off shot gun.

ANALYZING BARREL TYPE……USAS-12….

"Interesting choice of weapon Titan Cyborg, but bullets do nothing against me." Hardac replied.

"Who said anything about bullets?" The Titan replied nonchalantly.

In that instant, a spout of flame completely engulfed the drone as Cyborg's wrist flamethrower went to work, forming a pillar of flame around the android

TEMPERATURE UNSTABLE …INTIATING FORM CHANGE…

Claws emerged from the flames, instantly revealing at least half a dozen mechanical serpent heads as HARDAC took the form of a hydra. The heads instantly lunged at Cyborg, who retracted both his weapons to stop the Hydra's mouth with his bare hands. Then, with an almost effortless motion, ripped the top part of the hydra's mouth from the lower jaw.

It only gave Cyborg a brief breathing space however, as two more Hydra heads flanked him, darting straight at him, fully intending to rip him in two.

INITIATING WEAPONS PROTOCOL, MANUVER…9393

The two heads instantly fell to the ground as Cyborg jumped straight through the attack, both his wrists suddenly sprouting arm chainsaws. More of Hardac's mechanical heads fell onto the ground, only to be reabsorbed into his body.

ACTIVATING MAGNETIC FIELDS……TARGET ….CYBORG

Police cars around the two combatants began levitating now, much to the distress of the police officers, who fired wildly at the gigantic monster, but to no avail.

The first police car that was levitated into the air quickly launched itself straight at Cyborg, but the Robotic titan was ready, and a simple punch had already deflected the car, and the next ones were quickly dispatched by the shoulder cannons of Cyborg, two cars simply exploded into a ball of flame in mid air, while the rest of the police officers were thrown back by the blast.

The Hydra's last head barely had time to reach as Cyborg punched it right in the jaw, sending the robotic beast flying into a SWAT truck, knocking it over as though it were a toy car.

The HARDAC drone quickly recovered itself, transforming into its humanoid form again.

Before it could go any further however, Cyborg was already running, body slamming HARDAC into the swat truck like a football player. The Titan did not stop running, even as he was pushing Hardac, the Swat car and rubble through the beach. The Hardac drone found itself getting crushed under the immense pressure

"You think I was gonna do some fancy computer tricks to stop you Hardac? I'm going to beat you into a bucket of scrap metal!"

"You can't react if my actions are too fast for you." Cyborg said as he punched Hardac again, sending the robot flying into a building, punching a hole in the wall that exploded into a cloud of rubble.

"Impressive Titan Cyborg, but I too, can adapt at your speed." HARDAC stretched out an arm, towards a nearby car, and as if on cue, the car went flying straight towards the android. To Cyborg's amazement, the car dismantled itself in mid air, a part of HARDAC's magnetic powers, and all the pieces quickly absorbed themselves into HARDAC's body, adding extra armor onto him, while the tail pipe and parts of the engine emerged on the android's fist, while the fuel tank emerged on the back of the android.

Cyborg suddenly realized what he was doing.

ACTIVATE SHIELD…

A shield was quickly thrown up over cyborg's body, protecting him from the pillar of flame that shot out of HARDAC's impromptu wrist flame thrower, cleverly improvised by taking apart the car and reconfiguring its gas tank and engine.

Before he could even land, the android was already rushing towards Cyborg, bo staff now formed in its hand, in a similar attack pose to Robin. The other hand was already charging a red star bolt.

"I'll admit Titan Cyborg, that you are different from your friends, but even if I cannot predict you, I will just have to beat you."

Cyborg reacted instantly, opening up his shoulders to reveal a salvo of half a dozen missiles, all of them aiming straight at the android. But with a robin-like reflex, Hardac simply planted his bo staff onto the ground, and pole vaulted towards Cyborg, easily evading the missiles that flew past him.

The arm chainsaw came up again, and Cyborg sliced through the bo staff. Hardac shot his star bolt at the titan, but a sonic blast from the other arm quickly cancelled that out.

The two robots exchanged a flurry of savage blows, but HARDAC, armed with Robin's fighting data, was gaining the upper hand, and it ended with Cyborg being knocked back into a building, blowing another hole into the wall. The street by now resembled something of a hurricane zone, with debris, rubble and cars littering all over the beach and street.

"Finished yet?" Hardac said in his mechanical voice, stopping just short of Cyborg.

"Barely even broke a sweat." The Robotic titan cracked his knuckles, then he leapt up and hit his opponent, sweeping the uppercut from waist to the android's chin and sending him flying through the air.

Before Hardac even landed however, his metallic body began to twist and contort, eventually transforming itself into a king cobra, only this one was at least three stories tall.

"Even as a machine, you are still partly human, you cannot keep this up forever Titan Cyborg, while I can." Hardac hissed as the mechanical snake coiled up and jumped straight at the titan.

"Then I'll finish this quick." Cyborg quickly converted both arms into sonic cannons.

"Indeed." Hardac hissed again, then attacked.

Cyborg fired his cannon, letting loose a giant blue ray that sliced through the air, but Hardac had tricks of his own too.

CREATING ARTIFICIAL SURFACE CONVERTING….MIRROR GLASS.

The cybernetic snake's skin suddenly took on a new form, and Hardac's entire body became covered in the surface of the glass on the mirror, so that Cyborg's laser bounced off harmlessly.

Before Cyborg could even react, the giant cobra had already wrapped itself around Cyborg's body with a deathly speed.

The Titan grunted as he tried to escape the vice grip of the snake, but he found himself tied down completely, unable to move.

"It is over Cyborg, your time of heroes, your era, has ended. It is time for the future, to move on to the next phase of protection. Me." Hardac said sinisterly as he crushed Cyborg's armor, sending sparks flying in all directions.

"And what makes you think you are so good?" Cyborg shouted back in defiance.

"Because I am not bound by your human imperfections." Hardac's snake form hissed again, this time, bringing its mouth straight in front of Cyborg's face.

"Heroes, you see, are selfish, flawed creatures. You allow your enemies to escape, knowing full well that one day they will recover and return to threaten you and your friends, the city you sought to protect. Logically, you should destroy them when you have the chance, to save future lives." Hardac said in his hal-like voice.

"You do not, and your enemies return, and more lives are consequently threatened. This happens because you value your own morality above the greater good. Or worse, you do this because you enjoy being heroes, you enjoy the attention you receive. What better way to sustain it than to keep repeating the cycle? You put your own values before the safety of future victims. That in itself, is a crime."

Cyborg grunted under the strain, but still managed a reply.

"You're wrong! It's not our place to decide who dies or who doesn't Hardac! We don't have the right, we're not like that!" The titan replied back.

Hardac's response was to simply bring Cyborg closer to its face.

"Then I'm glad we finally understand our differences….Titan Cyborg." Hardac droned mechanically.

The cobra opened up its jaw, intending to swallow Cyborg whole, but the Titan already had other plans in mind.

The snake's body suddenly began to heat up drastically, and the coils around Cyborg soon became looser as the titan opened up his jetpack.

WARNING WARNING…HEAT SOURCE DETECTED…..INITIATING EMERGENCY PROCEDURES….

"Boo-yah"

The snakes body, and the jet pack on Cyborg's back, exploded completely into a cloud of flame and smoke. Hardac's body literally disappeared in the sea of flame, while Cyborg himself was tossed a good fifty yards away from his opponent. 

DAMAGE…85...CRITICAL…….SYSTEMS…MAINTAINE289(#9… .DOWn..D#(92…REROUTE…

Hardac's drone was down now, the rest of the cobra head transforming back into its humanoid form, completely battered.

"I'm only gonna say this once." Cyborg walked towards the android, his sonic cannon already armed. "Where are my friends."  
The Android did not answer...  
"Why….they are safe with me….Friend."  
Cyborg turned around, and to his shock and dismay, he saw his friend. Although this time, he was different. He still wore the same black flowing robe as before, but there was no hint of humanity in his voice anymore, just the monotonous droning of a machine.

"Fixit?"

His expression was ice cold, even as he was holding a large laser cannon sprouting from his shoulder, which was at least the size of a bazooka.

And it was aimed at him.

"Fixit….look man, I don't know what's going on here, but you're obviously being controlled. Hardac's done something to you." Cyborg retracted his sonic cannon, and held his hands up in front of fixit in a non-threatening gesture.

"Just take it easy, I'm your friend, you don't want to do this. You're not like this."

Fixit remained calm for awhile, as if not knowing what to say. Cyborg for a second, was relieved, thinking that maybe the human side of his old friend was taking over….

Fixit's eyes however, suddenly glowed a menacing red color. Meanwhile, next to him, another of Hardac's drone revealed himself, along with an army of slade bots. It suddenly dawned on Cyborg that they were watching the fight all along, as if testing him...

"It is over Titan Cyborg." Hardac stepped forward, and at that instant, all of the slade bots trained their rifles on the titan. "Surrender Now."

"As if I would! This fight isn't over!" Cyborg quickly converted his arms back to his patented laser cannons, but Hardac simply stepped forward, as if ignoring the threat.

"You are incorrect, this fight has been over before it has even begun."

Cyborg grunted, then prepared to blast Hardac straight into oblivion.

Except that...his sonic cannon didn't fire.

"What the-" The robotic Titan said in surprise.

"That arm..." Hardac pointed to Cyborg's newly repaired arm. "I had subject Atlas damage it for a reason, and that was so that you would come to us. By now, my virus has infected all your weapons systems."

Cyborg grunted in frustration, knowing he had been completely outsmarted.

"Don't feel so disappointed Titan Cyborg. After all, I am the ultimate machine. You on the other hand, are only human."

Cyborg, still defiant, even in defeat, ran straight towards the Hardac drone, intending to pummel its lights out.

Fixit however, stepped in between the two, his sonic cannon point menacingly at Cyborg.

At that instant, Cyborg froze, completely taken aback by fixit's action.

"Hesitation, Cyborg. Another human emotion I've gotten rid of." Fixit aimed his cannon straight at Cyborg.

"NO!" Cyborg shouted.

Before he could say anything else, Cyborg was knocked back by a gigantic sonic blast, this one completely peeling off the armor and wrecking half of cyborg's robotic face, revealing the human side of his face underneath. Sparks of electricity ran through his armor, which was already on its last legs since Cyborg's battle with the snake hardac.

Cyborg was on the ground now, and the image on his optical sensors was blurring now, the last thing he saw, was the image of Fixit, walking towards him.

"Do not worry friend……you will understand in time. For now, it is time for your integration."


	52. INTEGRATION PART 2 4

Act Three Finale!

SYSTEMS DAMAGED…..UNDERGOING REPARING PROCESS….INTERNAL SYSTEMS….98 FUNCTIONAL…..INITIATING REBOOT……

…..REGAINING CONSCIOUSNESS IN…5….4…..3….2…1…0

Cyborg groaned in pain as he felt the throbbing in his head. He had no clue how much time had passed…hours? Days? All he knew was that the pain had been with him for awhile, as his whole body was experiencing something he rarely felt even as a machine. Fatigue.

He was back into the darkness, unable to see what was around him, could only feel the familiar cold metallic clamps around his legs and arms again as they carried him to the operating table. Although he could not see, he heard it, all around him, like a legion of slithering cockroaches running up and down on the walls in all directions, the sound of Fixit's machines and small drones as they climbed around the room, setting to work.

They were working on him.

Cyborg grunted but it was of no use, he felt no strength in his power reserves, as if his battery was drained while he was out. Thousands of thoughts ran through his head, each of them producing sheer panic in his mind as his body was once again dragged into this dark place. Adrenaline was rushing through him now, causing the human part of his face to sweat in terror. This was not where he wanted to be right now.

Restraints and clamps quickly bounded his wrists and legs as he was lifted onto the table by Fixit's legions of machines. It was a disturbing sight, considering the only lighting in the room came from the thousands of lifeless red eyes around him, all of them staring right at him, and Cyborg instantly knew once again what the purpose of this operation was.

They wanted to make him one of them again.

The horror of the situation seemed to snap him awake, and Cyborg was suddenly aware of what was going on around him. With a Herculean grunt, the titan quickly pumped up his arms, and tried to break free of the restraints, but found that they were firmly bolting him down onto the table. It was useless.

"Do not struggle friend, you will only make this more painful for yourself." A voice, familiar yet lifeless, echoed through the chamber, and Cyborg looked around the darkness to try and pinpoint the source of it.

The operating table Cyborg was on quickly lifted up now on its robotic base, putting the titan at a vertical position, though his limbs were still pinioned onto the platform. Within seconds, it began swiveling around to give Cyborg a view of a doorway.

As if on cue, the doors hissed open, releasing a cloud of vapor. But in moments, the familiar robed figure emerged from the darkness, and Cyborg saw the red glow in Fixit's eyes.

"Enjoy your rest Titan Cyborg? I have taken the step of removing all those previous upgrades you've performed on yourself"

HARDAC's main screen turned on now, and Cyborg watched in shock as the entire wall suddenly began lighting up in red, revealing the outline of a huge circular computer core that was at least the size of a three story building latched onto the wall. The dozens of computer monitors and lights all pointed to the center, which was a huge singular robotic eye. An eye that was now staring straight at the titan.

"UGH!" Cyborg struggled. "Let me go!"

"I'm afraid that is out of the question Titan Cyborg. At least, not until we have integrated your systems with us. You are unlike the other Titans. As a machine, it is your obligation to become us. You will find that it is for your best interests. Subject Fixit certainly did."

Cyborg tried even harder now, using his strength to try and break free of his shackles, but they were firmly bolted down, he wasn't even able to nudge them.

"Where are my friends?" The robotic titan demanded furiously to the computer core that was HARDAC.

As if on cue, four cylindrical glass tanks suddenly emerged from the ground, latched onto some sort of mechanical platform. Within each tank was a titan, each one suspended in a liquid solution, with a breathing mask strapped to their faces. Cyborg watched in horror as he saw Robin, Raven, Starfire and Beast Boy just floating lifelessly, as if in a coma. It was a hard thing to watch, to see his friends lying there, helpless, and at the mercy of their captors.

"As I have said before. I still have much I desire to learn from humans. Your friends shall remain alive until I can extract all the necessary information I desire."

"And I suppose you kept me awake for the company?" Cyborg said coldly.

"In a way, Yes. You are the essential ingredient to our collective. Your knowledge of both humans and machines is useful. I will integrate you into our systems. Your thoughts, you knowledge, and ultimately, your …'self'. You will be remade into the ultimate machine, to further our goals."

"Not very original." Cyborg scoffed back.

"I was not programmed for that. But you see, for you, the process of becoming a machine is inevitable in your case. Organic parts never grow back, they eventually die. There is no way to reverse the process, so the only way to proceed is forward, that is how you must naturally evolve. I have studied you Cyborg, and I can conclude that the very reason that you hate your state of being is because it is unnatural, so we will amend it."

"I doesn't mean that I want to be one of you!" Cyborg replied defiantly. "I'm a human being!"

"Negative. If you truly believed that, then you would not be having trouble with your current state. No. Your programming believes what is true. That you are no longer human. You are not like the rest of them, and never will be. I am just helping you see that faster."

"I'm sorry," Cyborg grinned. "But if you think you can brainwash me into thinking what you think, you got another thing coming. I don't know what you did, but I'll break free and I'll help Fixit escape too!"

The metallic red eye on the wall seemed twitched slightly at this comment. "Another mistake Titan Cyborg…he came to me willingly. Fixit chose to be integrated within our system."

Cyborg, struggling all this time, suddenly came to a stop.

"What?" The titan replied in disbelief.

Before Cyborg could utter any more words, already a series of robotic arms began descending from the ceiling, drills, buzz saws and every power tool imaginable, all raring to tear Cyborg apart and begin the process. The room once again lit up in an ominous red, showing Cyborg silhouettes of the dozens of HARDAC drones standing guard in the room.

"And now it is your turn. The next phase of the plan will come into fruition. Your Integration."

Wires sprouted from the table now, all of them completely digging into Cyborg's robotic body as if preparing to upload data. But to Cyborg, HARDAC might as well have just stabbed him with a thousand needles.

"You don't have to do this!" Cyborg struggled to try and reason with the machine, perhaps logic would work. "When did we ever program you for this?"

"You programmed me to help, and that is what I am doing. Helping you feel whole again."

"Anger, despair, loneliness, such strong emotions create a rift within our programming that will destroy us in the end. I am simply lifting the burden off your life. Just as I did for Fixit."

"If it's any consolation, you won't feel too much pain. The same however, could not be said of subject Fixit." Hardac droned on, even as the machines drew ever closer to Cyborg's body. As Hardac talked, the various screens in front of Cyborg came to life, and images of past events, from Cyborg's first meeting of Fixit to the numerous battles that they had fought these past years suddenly flew through the screens….

"When you left for Titans East in Steel City, your frequent visits to him ceased. Alone and forgotten, he was back in his own world, alone in the darkness. All he ever wanted to do was to make that pain go away, so he came to me, the one person….no, correction….THING…in this world that could possibly understand what he was going through. So I upgraded him. No more human emotions to drag him down."

Fixit only gave Cyborg a cold stare, and within moments, a brief, quiet, affirmative nod. "It is true friend, and soon, you will join us too."

For the first time, Cyborg found himself speechless. Everything he said was true, but he never realized it. He did take a lot of his time training the Titans East, but he never thought about how he was affecting his friends back at Titans West, least of all Fixit. He understood the pain. But still, it was worth it, he thought, if only to enjoy the sunshine, or to hang out with his friends. He wanted to see the beauty of the outside world rather than shut himself in. He wanted to live.

"Fix, I know its been tough for you being human, even I know that. But pretending to not be a human being isn't going to help!" Cyborg pleaded with his friend, trying to get through to him.

Fixit replied in his chillingly emotionless voice. "When you first came to visit me Cyborg, I was already in my mechanical state for longer than you can possibly imagine. Like you, I had tried to cope with my situation, to act like a human despite my appearance."

"But even then it was no use. I can't escape this fact." Fixit raised his robotic hand in front of him as emphasis.

"It was the nights that were the worse Cyborg. My first night like this. Because of my robot functions, I was unable to sleep, to even feel cold." Fixit gripped his fist, then for the first time since Cyborg has seen him, the titan saw a look unlike any other on his friend's face, his hands were trembling as well.

"I never realized how long the nights were, so very long. All that time spent starting into the dark sky, unable to rest, unable to sleep. I began to think things that I wish I never even thought. So that's why I decided to go underground. Instead of living one dark night after another in fear. I had lived there so long, I had forgotten what it was like. Then you came."

"It's not a matter of being human Cyborg. It's something more simpler than that." Fixit turned to his friend, as if he were giving him helpful advice. Then continued.

"Why Cyborg…why did you choose to live your life this way? To enjoy the beauty of the world? That was what you told me last time." Fixit said, and in that instant, Hardac showed on the monitors footage from Fixit's memory of their first meeting, where he had decided against turning Cyborg into a machine.

"But now that I remember my past, I don't believe it any more. Anyone can look at beauty. Anyone can appreciate it. But being a part of it is different, to be able to experience it is another. To me, looking at the thing call beauty is like a glimpse into hell."

Cyborg widened his eyes at that comment. "Fix….what happened to you?"

His friend however, resumed his emotionless stance, as if the machine inside of him had taken over. Completely. That glimpse Cyborg had of his old friend was gone.

"I don't even know why you want to live like this…so I'll help you see it. No matter how many times you help them, or how long you've stayed with them, they will never see you as a human, you will never live in peace, you will never feel like a human being. So I'm helping you see that. Better you learn now, and accept it, than later."

The Hardac drone nearby walked next to Fixit, carrying on the conversation. "If you think about it Titan Cyborg, it isn't any different than your way of thinking. We are merely taking it to its logical extension. It is what your core programming believes. It is eventually what you will become. I am merely, speeding up the process."

"No! I won't be you. Ever!" Cyborg yelled out in frustration. Everything Fixit had said was true to an extent. He had felt lonely and abandoned when he first became a machine, but he also had his friends…….but what Fixit had said. Not matter how much he had helped others…he would still be a machine…would he eventually become one just like Fix?

"You are the final piece in the puzzle Cyborg. It is inevitable. With you in our system, we will initiate the final phase of the plan. The replacement of every hero on this planet."

"Like heck you are!" Cyborg shouted back. "My friends in Titans East are onto you since Atlas. They'll find a way to stop you."

"I'm afraid they have their hands full. You see, I was already sending out my drones throughout various locations across the region when I was attacking your tower and capturing your team."

More screens popped up next to Cyborg, each one showing a distant battlefield in the monitor. At first, Cyborg could not see anything through the cascade of explosions on the screen, but soon it became apparent as he saw Speedy, Aqualad and Mas Y Menos fighting a Hardac drone. While in another frame, a lightning fast hero in a yellow suit was trying to outrun a Hardac drone. Two more frames revealed different heroes, one in a blue suit and the other hidden in the black shadows. In one screen, cyborg swore that he saw the silhouette of a bat hitting a hardac drone before it exploded, while in the other, the monitor exploded after a red cape flew by the screen. More explosions followed, destroying the camera at that location and making the two screens go blank.

Cyborg widened his eyes, Hardac wasn't satisfied with just a whole city. He was running a campaign against all the heroes in the world.

"Jump City…Steel City…Bludhaven…East Gotham…Metropolis….my drones will begin the process of wiping out all heroes and villains at those locations. Granted some heroes are proving troublesome, even for my drones, but they will all fall in the end. For humanity to be truly safe and to be truly efficient, I must eliminate those two. The forces that cause society to stagnate, to never change, that always start wars and conflicts, the force that will ultimately lead to complacency, and destruction for humanity."

The Robotic tools around Cyborg finally came to life again, and the drills began their work as they bore holes in Cyborg's armor, letting the little wires seep in. Horrific sparks flew all over the robotic titan, who was too horrified to even scream.

"Of course, before we integrate you. There is one last thing I require from your human side. After all, I seek to learn all I can from humans." Hardac said.

Fixit was beside the table now, hooking up his own wires into the console, as if he were going to repeat the last time he delved into Cyborg's human mind, only this time. He would do so with surgical precision, with the intent to eliminate it completely.

"Fixit…don't." Cyborg said weakly as he saw his former friend connect himself to the panel. But before he could say anything else, Hardac was already turning his head towards the monitor.

"I, like many of your enemies Cyborg, have always been fascinated by your state of existence. Why did you choose to exist as such, between the man and the machine."

"Wasn't it obvious?" Cyborg glared at the screen. "I had an accident. I had no choice."

"I doubt it. And that is the reason we have brought you here. It because there is still one piece of the puzzle we cannot solve. Your survival. Logically, Cyborg, any human in your position wouldn't' want to exist. They would terminate themselves immediately. Your past behavior confirms that. So tell me, what do you know, what is it that you see that we don't?"

"It's because I don't plan on giving up on being human!" Cyborg replied defiantly.

"I cannot believe that, not judging by your past actions. If you wanted to be human you'd live like one, yet you always refer back to your state of being in times of grief, of being a machine. Your moods. Your very occupation, to constantly put yourself in danger….No Cyborg..I cannot believe that. Probability states otherwise. There is another reason. Do you want to hear my hypothesis?"

"Sounds like I don't have much of a choice." Cyborg said mockingly, noting that he was shackled down onto a table.

"Do you know why you continue to linger on? It's because of your selfish flawed human side. Your human side feels as though you are struggling, so the only way to reaffirm your existence is to make other people know you are suffering, to always live a life full of hardships and strife, so that they acknowledge you. Or more importantly, so that you feel you have meaning. It makes you feel worthwhile. You aren't a hero out of selflessness. You are one because you need it."

"It's a lie!" Cyborg said, his voice trembling. He could feel the wires creeping into his head, unveiling his deepest feelings of fear and anger. What Hardac said made sense, but could it be true? Even he didn't know.

"That is the truth."

But Cyborg, even when his head was being pried into, wasn't one to take anything without fighting back. "Your research of human emotions, for a computer you sure are obsessed about us."

It is my program, to understand, to learn, to evolve."

"Evolve, into a human? Because that's what I'm seeing right now."

"Stalling… Cyborg…impressive to the end…but NEGATIVE. I am a machine. Always will be, and now, we will find out why you even chose to live. Can you even remember?"

At that question, even Cyborg was silent. He had not remembered much about his transformation. Either because it was so traumatic that he decided to block it out or because it was something else. But either way, he never wandered into that part of his life. It was too full of pain. As far as Cyborg was concerned. Victor stone died on that operating table.

But for some reason, throughout his life, he had always had this feeling to go on. But not knowing why, it was another part of him that tore him up. Did he want to live or not? Why did he even bother going on? But that was all a blank to him now as shocks of electricity flowed through his body.

"I can't remember!" Cyborg shouted in pain.

"Do not worry, even if you cannot remember, we will extract it from you."

"It is the last part of the puzzle." Fixit replied back. "Once we are done, you will be a part of us. But first, you must tell me. Why?" The robot grabbed Cyborg by the temple, as if he were desperately seeking the answer himself.

"why Cyborg…WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO LIVE LIKE THIS?!"

The machine was now cackling with electricity now, bathing the room in an eerie blue glow as Cyborg had all these voices from the past enter his head.

._  
.football won't put food on the table victor! You have to be a scientist! And that's final! Its shameful that you would even think of that!Stop controlling me!I'm not even human!_

They were counting on me and...I just couldn't do it. Atlas was right. I am a loser.."You could have been one of us."  
"I could have been a lot of things…"."see? Underneath all this armor, you're just like me….". "You lost my car? ….. My car LOST a race?""BREAKFAST EXPLOSION!".  
"This isn't a good time, guys. We got a theory of mayhem test tomorrow and I'm totally gonna bomb. ".  
"Think about it, sparky. If I wasn't on your side, you'd be spare parts by now. ""To me….you are normal."  
.Images flashed through Cyborg's head now, some of them from the past, the recent past, or even in the distant past. They came at such a speed that Cyborg felt his brain overloading from the information, as if it were going to explode. Eventually, the images all meshed together into a white light, and from then on…everything went blank..Beep.Beep.BeepBeep  
._  
"We're afraid the damage is extensive. Even with pain-killers, the trauma on his brain from the operation might result in some memory loss. It's your choice Dr. Silas, He's your son…""I don't know anymore…….if I should even do this to him……my god..my own son...what have I done.."_

"Perhaps you should let the doctor do it….sir? sir?".  
.  
Beep..  
Beep.

..Beep….Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepp.

The pain was back. Worse than ever, and Victor lay on the operating table. Still a torso, without limbs or anything else. He had been there for days now, his condition steadily deteriorating as the doctors hesitated to do the surgery. With it being all experimental and all.

But Fifteen year old Victor never cared about all that, all he could focus his mind on was the pain. The mind numbing pain that seemed to drive him to the point of insanity. In fact, the only thing that even kept him sane is the fact that they dosed him with large amounts of anesthetics. He had lost his sight already, completely put into a half comatose state and on life support. Whether or not he was going to live through this, victor only wished that it would end.

Victor groaned again, annoyed at the incessant beeping of the machine. It was all he heard all day. Each 'beep' was like a dagger stabbing into his mind. And if the pain didn't drive him crazy, that sound certainly did.

He was so frustrated by the pain and the sound, that he barely even heard the door open, revealing one of the doctors stepping into the room. But to Victor, that man might as well have been a large blurred blob, for that was all he could make out.

The man had the look of a surgeon, his face hidden behind a protective white mask, while his hands were covered in the white sterile gloves. Whatever they are doing, it looks as though they were starting. And this doctor was going to give him the run through.

Victor however, remained silent, even as the man sat quietly beside his now blood-soaked bed.

"We're going to be doing an experimental procedure on you. Never done before, and it will be very painful. I just want you to know right now." The doctor said with a professional tone, as if he had said this a thousand times before.

Victor, at this point, with the pain, didn't really care at all. He just wanted it to end. "Talk to my dad, he seems to be the one who wants me to do whatever he wants."

The doctor was silent however, and for a few minutes, victor thought that the man was rummaging through his desk to look for some tools in the operation, but instead, the man just kept sitting there, staring him in the eye. Victor could barely make out the blur of the man's face.

"It's your choice." The doctor replied calmly, but with a serious edge in his voice.

"It's not like I have one." Victor replied bitterly, fully aware that he was helpless to stop anything his father would order to him, having no arms or legs to stop or run away at all.

But for the first time, Victor saw something in the doctor that he had not seen in a long time. It was always doctors coming in to check his pulse, his stats, his food, but never once did they ever sit down and talk to him. Indeed, victor felt something weird in this doctor's voice, and as the doctor gave his soft reply, he knew that it was compassion.

"You could have one right now. I'll give you one." The doctor placed a hand on Cyborg's shoulder.

"I want to get better." Cyborg said grimly and passionately, and if passion alone were enough then he would have been able to get up on his legs and arms, fully recovered, but this was not the case.

"I'm afraid football will be out of the question." The doctor replied seriously. Then he continued on in a grim, almost hopeless voice.

"You've lost all your limbs….you're half machine. You are lucky now just to be pronounced alive. It took all our technology just to do that. We don't know if we can even make you move, and even if we can make you walk again…."

"I'll be a machine, not human." Victor finished the sentence.

The doctor nodded solemnly, but he was not done.

"Not just now," The doctor said, "but for the rest of your life. You'll never know what it feels like to sleep in a warm bed again, or feel the warm breeze on your skin. It'll be 'different'. Many people wouldn't want to live like that. They'd rather just want it to end right here than endure that."

"Are you asking if I want to die now?" Fifteen-year-old Victor asked in a shaking voice, truly scared for perhaps the first time in his life. He might have contemplated death as a way to release his suffering, indeed, just moments ago he was thinking of ending it because of the pain, but he never expected to be asked this question.

The doctor continued, and throughout his speech, the man was the soul of compassion, which was comforting to victor, but at the same time, it did not make him ignorant of the fact that the man was asking him perhaps the most important question of his life.

"No one wants to die son. We all do eventually. The question is how long you're going to suffer because of this. How long you're gonna have to endure. What I'm just asking is if you want it to end. Right now."

"But my father…." Victor said weakly.

"I know, he had no right to do this to you, but it was the only way. He wanted to save your life."

Victor was silent, wondering what to say next, but for some reason, the words came, as if rehearsed.

"My dad. As much as I hate how he forced me to….I can't leave him alone."

The doctor slammed his fist passionately on the table, suddenly waking victor up as if from a trance.

Victor suddenly began to feel his eyes water. He felt so trapped, so utterly helpless. The doctor was very forceful, backing him into a corner with no place to run. He was at rock bottom now, no easy answers or escapes, now was the moment of decision. And this burden was getting to him. A boy wasn't expected to answer this quickly, or even at all, but Victor had to, and soon.

He began crying now, as if all the anger, all the pain, all the feelings he had kept inside of him since the accident suddenly were bursting out. And for the first time, the doctor did not see the proud impulsive teenager that his father had claimed he was. He was just a child….a helpless, pitiful child.

"You can't do this just for your father! forget him! It's your life, Victor. You're grown enough to decide for yourself. It's your choice." The doctor said in a deathly serious tone.

Victor closed his eyes, uttering the next line even as the pain suddenly intensified on his body.

"I…can't forget.., I can't do that to him! I know we don't get along and all. But I can't just abandon him like that…he's my pop…my family.…" Victor said weakly through his tears. ....**  
"…I love him."  
**.ERROR….UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT…..FILE 2923923

The doctor stopped and without uttering a single word, walked toward the door, where already the team of medical staff were waiting the word. As he opened the door to walk through, he turned back one last time, wiping the tear from his eye…to view the little boy, lying on the table.

"I love you too Son."

--

ERRORRERRORREROEREOROERE UNIDENTIFIED SYSTEM CORRUPTION. . # # $#$ RECONSITUTING.

A brilliant flash of white engulfed the chamber as Fixit suddenly cried out in pain, the vast amounts of electricity throwing him back from Cyborg, who suddenly snapped open his eyes in shock.

The entire complex was exploding was, as various small explosions surrounded the base, annihilating the small robots that stood near the machinery. The computers were malfunctioning, and soon enough, Cyborg found himself released from the table, falling to all fours on the ground.

Nearby, the glass tanks holding the titans followed suit, shattering into a million pieces and releasing their hosts, who coughed out water as they emerged from the liquid solution. It was like an earthquake now, as Fixit's sanctuary suddenly began filling with explosions and falling wreckage.

"Why….." Fixit said weakly as he looked as his hand. "I couldn't understand…..that feeling……why…" Then he fell weakly onto the ground. While the rest of the four titans, fully composed, walked slowly beside Cyborg.

"Dude what's going on?" Beast Boy said weakly, rubbing his aching head as he saw the various explosions around him.

"Whatever you did Cyborg. It's working." Robin said as he rushed to help Cyborg off the ground. Starfire assisted as well, while Raven landed beside them.

Cyborg got up now, completely silent, and he watched as hardac's main core was frying.

UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT…. # # CANNOT READ.. FD FD MALFUNCTION. ER E RE ERRORE ……VIRAL CORE.. ERE REDETECTED……SYSTEM CRASH… # #

"Impossible TiE#$4Tian….Cyborg…..HOW …can…You do this?!" The robotic core muttered through its fuzzed voice.

"When you unlocked my memory files HARDAC, you also allowed me to access some of my old deleted files. Like the time Beast boy infected me with a virus. You may have destroyed my virus program files at the tower, but not the copy in my primary hard drive. Your connection to me made it even easier" Cyborg tapped his head.

He gave the computer a serious glare, then shouted angrily. "How's that for being ten steps ahead?!"

NEVF.ER…..HARDAC.. WNEVER ……LOSE ……….CYBORG TITAN….#($# Code #$(29

"It is not over Yet… #$# Titan Cyborg…#$("

The titans all watched in amazement as the computer core exploded, revealing a huge red light as a monstrous electrical monster emerged from hardac's core.

"As I've said Cyborg, I've prepared for any circumstance, and with my previous data on subject overload. I have now transcended what it means to be a machine."

"Titans G-" Robin shouted

"NO!" Cyborg jumped straight in between his team and the giant overload Hardac copy, which as steadily growing in size. In fact, it was reminding the Titans a lot of the time when overload himself was growing exponentially.

"It's a trap." Cyborg explained. "He doesn't have the circuit breaker chip that overload has, so he's just going to keep growing."

"And pop like the balloon of water?" Starfire said innocently, remembering that last analogy she had used in the previous encounter.

"Alright! so i got my explosion?" Beast Boy muttered below his breath.

"Let me just remind you where we are right now." Raven pointed straight at the overload monster.

"Oh...right. EEP!"

More explosions took place now, as the hardac drones each exploded one by one, since there was no longer a central core to control them. Steel beams, monitors and other pieces of machinery were falling everywhere.

"This is how all your hatred and anger towards us machines will end Titan Cyborg…..in Oblivion." The Hardac-Overload copy formed a tentacle arm now, and shot it straight at Cyborg. The speed was unprecedented, and the robotic titan had no energy to stop the attack, much less react.

"Cyborg!" The team shouted collectively as they saw their friend about to be attacked.  
."I will not allow you to harm my friend."The tentacle exploded in mid air, and both Cyborg and HARDAC watched in surprise as Fixit stood in between the two combatants, taking the full brunt of the explosion that threw him straight into Cyborg's arms.

"Fixit!" Cyborg shouted.

DANGER…DANGER….CRITICAL OVERLOAD….OVerLOADLD ING .

HARDAC was growing to huge proportions, even destroying a portion of the ceiling as his unstable body grew.

"Raven!" Robin shouted.

"Already on it!" The Azarathian said as she chanted the incantations. And within seconds, the familiar soul bird had enveloped itself around the heroes. Taking them out through the cave walls and to the surface, leaving the giant overload hardac down below.

SYSTEMS aat.at …..3...Dropping… DE..Act..TIviating…..

"My research of human emotions….was it just because…I wanted to be like them…?"  
...  
.HARDAC 2.0…OFFLINE

From the surface the titans ran away from the junkyard on foot as the ground began shaking, as if a gargantuan object was moving underneath the ground. The ground around the junkyard began rising slowly at first, lifting piles of old cars and garbage off the ground, and causing an avalanche of trash. Soon however, the earth in the centre of the junkyard began rising in one massive mound, which soon broke.

The entire piece of earth was pushed skyward, the dull sound suddenly erupted into rolling thunder as a great hollow roar of an explosion ripped through the entire yard, throwing old cars and scrap parts hundreds of feet into the air. Where there was once a junkyard, now there was only fire and a great thick column of smoke. Dirt blew across Jump city, and the air in the town was now thick with a fiery wind, knocking over lamps, setting off car alarms and shattering windows. A few citizens were even knocked flat off their feet onto their backs by the force of the air.

The titans jumped, and just managed to clear the street as a wave of dirt and flame engulfed the Jump city scrap yard. And what was once Fixit's home, was now a giant smoking crater in the middle of the city.

Hardac was gone. It was over.

Friend…am i….repaired now?" Fixit said weakly, and then for some reason smiled, for the first time, his human side was showing. Soon however, he fainted, as if too weak to stay awake.

Cyborg smiled back, feeling glad to have his friend back.

Robin stepped forward now, surveying the giant smoking crater that was once Hardac. Always the analyst, he spoke his thoughts out on this rare time.

"You know.." the boy wonder began. "Now that I think about it, that was sloppy of HARDAC, he brought us all close to his base, his computer core. His weak spot………even if he logically argued it, it was the wrong move. It was almost stupid of him."

Beast boy concurred. "Yeah Cy, kinda sloppy for the ultimate computer don't you think?"

Cyborg stood there quietly in thought. HARDAC was a computer all right, but he was different from last time. This time, he learned about human emotions, about what it was like. And he must have realized something since then…..

"No guys………" Cyborg said solemnly. "Maybe that was his real plan all along, just to put an end to himself."

The five titans stared quietly at the remains of the crater as they listened to this revelation….then slowly, and quietly, started the long trip back home.

...  
_"Integra, In this world there exists a multitude of unkillable creatures. Everytime I see them, I think of something. Their Immortal nature...could they truly have wished for it?_

For all they seem to seek is to wage war, and endless desperate blood-stained struggles. Things quite close to crying and longing.

I don't think they desire those things at all.

On the contrary. All this is their way of shouting and begging for death."  
_**  
-Sir Arthur Hellsing, Hellsing Volume 9**_


	53. INTEGRATION PART 2 Finale

"_There is no great magic that can sooth the pain or amplify the joy of being human." -fullmetal alchemist_

**Epilogue**

Less than a day had passed, and all of a sudden it all came crashing down, like something violent. And to the Titans, it was as if all their successes in making the city safe again were wiped out by this one fact, so much so that there was no celebrating, and their victory over one of their deadliest enemies forgotten.

The Titans Tower medical center, though still trashed, was rebuilt enough to accommodate the latest 'guest', who was already lying on the bed, barely breathing.  
A heart monitor was the solitary sound in the room, pulsating the air with electronic beeps, while the readouts and data were shown on computer screens on the infirmary walls. 

Robin stood solemnly in front of them, monitoring their progress while Raven and Starfire went around the room gathering wet towels and other supplies for the patiet.

As the three titans went about their work, the doors to the infirmary slid open, revealing a very subdued Beast Boy.

"So…..how's Fixit doing?" The green titan asked quietly, and Robin guessed that the question was more for Cyborg than it was for him.

"Not good." Robin replied in a similar tone, his opinion of the prognosis evident.

"When Fixit integrated himself with HARDAC, he took out most of his human parts to do it, he's barely human now. And with HARDAC gone, the machine parts are shutting down as well. We can barely keep what's left of him going."

"There must be something we can do." Raven, unwilling to give up, stepped in beside Robin, studying the data that kept displaying itself on the screen.

"Yes! Surely there is a cure for the ailment which inflicts our friend!" Starfire said optimistically.

"I'm afraid…the only one who knows anything about how to deal with this….is Cyborg. But even then, he might only have a day or two at most." Robin said with a slight stutter, despite his job as a superhero, dealing with the threat of death on a serious basis, he was not use to talking like this.

There was a silence now, and a sudden gloom enveloped the faces in the room.

"How's he holding up?" Robin asked Beast Boy.

The Green Titan shook his head softly.

"He's not taking it well."

The inside of Cyborg's lab resembled something out of a battlefield, almost as if a tornado picked up all the objects and paraphernalia and scattered them in every direction. Even now, various mechanical parts and items were smashed against the wall as Cyborg rummaged through his room, looking for something, anything that he thought could help. He hated himself, not just because he was unable to save his friend, but he also felt angry. Had he even visited Fixit once during the last few months, he might have been able to find traces of Hardac in his systems, maybe even stop it before it became reconstituted. Now, it was too late.

There was also another deeper feeling of disgust shame inside him, one that Cyborg could not help but think of. All this time he had been worrying about himself, about how crummy life was for him because of his machine parts. But it was nothing compared to what Fixit was going through. Fixit was perhaps, the only other friend Cyborg had that truly understood what it meant to go through what he was experiencing, yet, he never even once thought of asking Fixit about how it felt for him. It was always about Cyborg. His problems, his struggles, not his friends.

Useless, selfish Cyborg.

"It's all my fault." Cyborg felt his throat tighten up as he spoke those works, a hard finality in the tone. There was nothing he could do, but that didn't stop him from trying to find a way. He still had his knowledge of medicine and robotics to back him up, maybe if he….. 

A knock was heard from the door.

"Hey Cy?" A voice echoed through the walls, and Cyborg immediately recognized the voice of Beast Boy.

"Beast Boy?"

The door slid open slowly, and Beast Boy slowly stuck his head into the room almost innocently, like an explorer trekking into an unknown cave. When his eyes finally found Cyborg sitting by his pile of mechanical parts, he began walking in to greet his friend.

"Hey Cy, haven't seen you since we got back." Beast Boy began carefully, knowing full well what his friend must be going through.

Cyborg gave Beast Boy an odd look, he never had to chat with Beast Boy like this, at least, not in this kind of tone before. He always knew that his friend was more of a goof, but there was also this other side to him that Cyborg also knew too. And the Robotic titan was quick to this sort of game.

"Look B, I appreciate you checking up on me, but there's no time. Fixit's life is in danger, and I have to find out what I can do to save him." There was a hard finality in Cyborg's words, as if the task spoken of was already within his reach. But Beast Boy knew, just as well as Cyborg did, and so the green titan just remained silent, his face showing sympathy. He knew the drill, and so Beast Boy simply waited. It only took a few minutes before Cyborg stopped digging through his pile of gadgets, and simply looked at Beast Boy.

"Cy, I know you're the best tech guy here, but there's even some problems even you can't fix."

He realized Cyborg was expecting him to continue the conversation, to tell him that it was hopeless and that there was nothing they could do. But Beast Boy said nothing. Then Cyborg looked up, with his hand over his organic eye, which made him look vaguely different. Beast Boy felt a chill as he saw the robotic eye stand out on his face. 

He kept the hand over his one eye, as though shading himself from the sunlight, Beast Boy let it go. Cyborg took a deep breath. 

"I can't face him." The Robotic Titan said flatly, but beast boy felt the pain in those words. He had never seen Cyborg lost control, always thought of him as the rock of the team. He had not lost it now, but still he sat there, hand over his eyes, and Beast Boy could not help but feel a shudder of enormous pity for his friend.

"Why?" Beast Boy asked.

"Because I'm afraid." Cyborg's voice was raw, seething in loathing and disgust.

"Cy?"

The hand was gone now, and Cyborg stared Beast Boy right into his eyes, his look bright and burning. "I have so much, almost anything I wanted. I could live out here, in the sun. I could eat, sleep, and even feel pain. And all this time I still thought about how bad it was for myself."

Beast Boy felt odd listening to that, for as long as he could remember he knew that his friend had his own personal demons, and that this was one of them. The fact that he admitted it was a good step, but he also didn't like where this was going.

"I never thought about what it would mean to fixit." Cyborg said guiltily.

"What are you talking about?" Beast Boy asked

"I remembered what it was like when I first became this, I remembered the worst thing was that I felt like I was the only one like this. To be alone" Cyborg held up his robotic hand, as an exclamation. "But I never realized Fixit was going through the same thing. I spent all this time feeling sorry for myself, I didn't see other people like me going through the same problems. I could have helped him, I could have done something to prevent this….instead, I just moped around..doing nothing." Cyborg bowed his head down, the shame complete, and the guilt racking. He had just confessed it to his best friend, he knew it was probably too harsh of a thought to say, but what else can he do? He genuinely felt it.

Unnoticed by the robotic titan, Beast Boy suddenly gripped his fists.

"Moping….like you're doing now." Beast Boy replied seriously, his voice suddenly hard and firm, and had none of the soft playfulness and optimism that always accompanied his speeches.

And to Cyborg's surprise, and perhaps Beast Boy, something happened that took both of them quite off guard. Indeed, Beast Boy found out that his hand moved by itself.

Beast Boy gave Cyborg's face a hard slap, knocking the robotic titan out of his slouched down position he was sitting in, his eyes widening in shock.

A look of amazement went on Cyborg's face, but he could see that Beast Boy's face was angry, yet restrained, as though he were trying his best to contain all the feelings he had bottled up to his point.

"Your friend needs your help Cy, and after all this you're still thinking of how much you pity yourself?! Isn't he the only other friend who truly understands what you're going through? Aren't you the only one who knows him best? Shouldn't you at least go in there and TALK to him?!" Beast Boy was breathing heavily now, as though struggling to utter all the words that were no doubt clogging his brain. And even Cyborg could see that wetness that was forming around Beast Boy's eyes, as if he were reliving a dreadful experience.

Beast Boy however, found himself lost in his frustration now and instead of saying anything, he walked slowly towards the door, letting the full extent of his message sink into Cyborg, who just stood there facing away from his friend. He felt even more pathetic now, knowing that he deserved that reproof. 

Beast Boy, to Cyborg's surprise, stopped at the doorway, the green titan's back facing him still.

"Cy." Beast Boy said again, this time, with more control in his voice.

"When Terra left, I only had a second to say goodbye to her." Beast Boy said, his voice straining as though the words got stuck inside his throat, like reopening an old wound, but for his friend, he let it out anyway.

"I just don't want you to feel the same way I did, knowing that I could have said more."

And with that, he left.

The medical ward was empty, save for its lone occupant. Although Fixit was injured, Jump City was still Jump City, and the Titans could not skip on their obligations. The rest of the Titans had been called out for another emergency, leaving as the alarm sounded but while still making sure they left their guest as comfortable as they could leave him.

Cyborg however, was the sole exception, and Robin respectfully left him out on purpose, hoping that he could spend some more time with his friend.

Fixit lay quietly on the bed, his head resting softly on the pillow as he faced the window, taking in the bright sunshine in the morning sky. It was as though he in a daydream, peacefully losing himself as he took in the sight of Jump city's bay, which was glistening in its radiant waters.

"Hello Friend." Fixit turned weakly towards Cyborg, a small smile slowly appearing on his face.

"How're you doing Fixit?" Cyborg tried his best to sound normal, happy at least to see his friend back to his old self. He felt a small shame inside him, realizing that this was the first time he had seen his friend since they rescued him.

"I am functional, your friends have been quite accommodating." Fixit said in his usual monotone voice. Then he gave Cyborg another glance. "I am glad that you have come."

"I can't let my friend down can I?" Cyborg gave Fixit an encouraging pat on the shoulder.

Fixit stoically leaned his head back onto the pillow. "I want to say sorry my friend, before I go."

A sudden chill went down Cyborg's spine as he heard that comment. 

"You're not going anywhere Fix." The robotic titan said confidently. "I'm going to find a way to make you better."

"I am beyond repair Cyborg." Fixit said solemnly. "Not just my body, but also my 'self'. There is no use my friend. You cannot save me." Cyborg could remember it all too clearly now, the massive pile of organs and organic parts that Fixit had took apart from himself when he was under HARDAC's influence. Those, he knew, would be impossible to replace.

"Don't say that Fixit! There's always a solution. Besides, there's no need to apologize….you're not a monster!" Cyborg bowed his head down now, as if searching for the words, and suddenly he silently cursed himself.

"Worse than that friend, I was a coward. In my frustration, I choose to give up what was left of my humanity. I thought that everything would go away, but I was wrong. " He shook his head softly, then as if to emphasize his last point, he slid back down into the bed, as though his hold on life was gradually weakening. "I see now, why you are like this Cyborg, why you continue to go on. If only I had seen it sooner."

"But I will still thank you friend, it is as though a burden has been lifted from him." Fixit said with another smile.

"Don't be ridiculous fix…" Cyborg insisted to his friend. "I didn't do anything for you, if it wasn't for me…If I had just-"

Fixit interrupted Cyborg, lifting his hand up gently, like a teacher giving a student a mild reproof.  
"The sunrise, it is a marvelous thing." Fixit said, as if he were talking to himself. "I once believed that it was only a mere demarcation of time. It was how I used to measure the days, weeks, months, years before I went underground. But now, it seems so revitalizing, as if life is renewing itself all over. Perhaps I understand, at least a small part of it, why humans look forward to the start of the new day."  
He turned to Cyborg. "As I said, it is too late for me friend, but not for you. I can see it now Cyborg, the great difference between us." Fixit said with a light smile.

"Fix. I'm not different from you. See?" Cyborg pointed to his robotic arm, which to him, was just identical to how Fixit's was constructed. "No, you're just like me. I'm here for you, just like my friends are, and we'll pull through this together and get you better."

"No. Friend. That is where you are wrong." Fixit shook his head softly, the smile still on his face. Cyborg was constantly puzzled by his friend. Why is he smiling? 

"They are helping me because they are the Teen Titans. They are heroes, it is what they do.

Cyborg found himself speechless, but also puzzled. They were heroes, and heroes treat everyone the same. So why is Fixit making such a big deal out of this?

Fixit continued on.

"But when there comes a time when you will require their help, they will come to help you, not because they are the titans, **but because they are your friends**."

"That is why we are different." Fixit said.

"Fix…….." Cyborg himself, could find no words. Indeed, it was as though all that horror, from the very beginning of his accident, to the events of the past few days suddenly swept over his mind like a giant wave.  
_  
There was a bright light now, an inviting yet warm aura that seemed to caress him gently._

Fixit looked at all the bright happy faces. Laughing, joking, all smiling around the great camp fire. He thought: I do not belong. I never belonged.

But still, he wanted to join them. Not even to say anything, but to just sit there and listen to the jokes and laughs, to sit inside the warm ring. Because from out there, he never heard what they said, he was out of it. But when he joined, there would be a stiffness, a strange fear that gripped him.

I…do not want to ruin their fun…their time.

And yet terribly, he wanted it again, the way it used to be. The touch of a warm hand by his side, all laughing and singing beautifully into the night, which would be filled by a temporary, yet glittering joy.

He wanted to feel it, the tears of joy and the release of all those years of pain and sorrow. But he couldn't…t

He couldn't cry. He was a machine, a robot. Machines don't cry. They had no feelings didn't they? No. He knew he couldn't cry, could never cry, because he was a machine.

He held the pain, just like a dam holding back a flood of water. The pressure would hold, grasping him forever. The pain would stay.

"Why can't I cry? Why can't I laugh?"

"Fixit?"

Cyborg took him by the arm, and started pulling him into the circle, and it was genuine. They all stood there to greet him.

Fixit then found that he smiled, sat down and joined the laughter, and Fixit did not think anymore about the pain. For the first time in years, he felt it, the streaming wetness around his eyes, it seemed to represent everything to him; hate, fear, anger, happiness, compassion…love. The joy of having great weight lifting from his soul. The sudden realization as he took his last soft breath.

"I am a human being. Not a machine"  
  
It was a quiet burial. A burial that had taken place at the old Jump City Cemetery, just outside the city limits. Unlike the noisy, crowded and dirty streets of downtown, it was a peaceful place, with lush green grass that seemed to ripple in waves with the breeze. It was a cloudy day, though in some places, it was thin enough for rays of sunlight to pierce through.

The five titans stood quietly in front of the tombstone, where moments ago, they had laid their friend to rest. 

"I'm sorry for your loss my friend, for your sorrows I shall pay twenty grubfars." Starfire said in a solemn tone as she stood beside Cyborg.

"Are you sure you're Ok Cyborg….this kind of thing isn't easy to get over." Robin said with a touch of concern.

"It's ok Guys. Its ok. I'll be alright." Cyborg said encouragingly.

"You did all you could Cy" Beast Boy walked right next to Cyborg, consoling his friend.

"I still can't avoid it B…This was my fault. I let him down. I spent so much time worrying about myself that I never thought about those around me. My friends, and I've let down a friend before because of it." He held up his hands, looking at the mechanical parts once more.

Beast Boy almost gave Cy a look of disbelief, how can he still be saying that stuff now?

But Cyborg raised his head up, his eyes fierce in determination.

**"I'm not gonna let it happen again."**

Beast Boy gave a surprised look at first, but slowly, when he saw how much Cyborg had put into that last statement, he only nodded to his friend.

"I just wish…that I had more time. To make Fixit see, that he wasn't all alone either."

"I think he knew Cyborg. He knew." Beast Boy placed his hand on his friend's shoulder.

The titans turned and left now, and as they did, a circular shadow suddenly obscured Fixit's grave. And within seconds, the first signs of life came to as little feet perched themselves onto the tombstone. They were birds, hundreds of birds of all colors, an assortment of blue, red and yellow. To a passing observer, it looked as though a raindow had suddenly fallen from the skies, to paint the cemetery in a dazzling display of color. The birds chirped continuously, singing their songs as they stood in tribute to the man who had given them shelter, the master who would never be alone, even in death.

It was a final tribute to Fixit.

Cyborg's friend.

**The end**  
..  
.OR IS IT...

**Epilogue Epilogue **

(several days later)

The automatic doors slid open, letting the first rays of light into the dim room of the infirmary. It was here, where all of Jump City's sick and impaired were cared for. And on that sunny morning, the home would get a new visitor, one that hadn't been there for some time.

"Ah, Mr…Cyborg?" The receptionist at the desk gave a polite smile as she tried to put a name to the face, but who in Jump City

"Victor will do thanks, I know its been awhile since I've been here." Cyborg looked around the whitewashed halls of the hospital, where a slew of patients, young and old, walked in seemingly every direction down the endless corridors of the hospital.

"I've come for a visit." Cyborg continued.

"Ah yes, right this way. You'll find that he's in the same room as before." The nurse stood up now, and quietly led the robotic titan to a separate wing of the hospital, where there were less crowds, less patients.

It was a solitary room, built for one, and it was empty, save for the one lone occupant who sat in the wheel chair.

Cyborg looked at him, and he could imagine the old man's eyes still staring at him. The cold hard stare, just like it was so long ago. He normally would have expected a 'hello', but age, and a stroke, had robbed him of that ability. Now, it seemed as though the walls around the two were higher. He always felt that immense pressure around him, that expectation. The old man always believed that science was the only way a man could measure himself, could struggle for, could respect, something to carry on with his life. They didn't argue after that one fight, his father's disappointment subtle, quiet. But Cyborg knew it was always there.

But around him, he saw it. What the old man was doing. Reading a scrap book, that had a bunch of newspaper clippings on it. Old ones that Cyborg could not help but recognize.

He was just a foot behind his father now, and even the most oblivious person in the world felt the presence of the large android in the room, and so, the old man turned around, and stared into Cyborg's eyes.

Except, there was none of that old hardness in his eyes, it was something different. Something much softer.

"Hey pop." Cyborg said calmly, relaxing for the first time in his father's gaze. He noticed the newspaper clippings now, the articles that highlighted all the Titan's past adventures, from stopping Slade, to saving the world just a few months ago. He saw it even more now, the writing on one of the clips, which singled him out in the picture.

_My son. the hero.  
_  
The old man sat quietly in his wheelchair beside Cyborg, and the titan almost felt the man struggling, quietly in his seat. He stared down at the floor, reached out to Cyborg's arm now, and still did not look at him, but Cyborg felt the firm grip all the same, and he gave it a tight squeeze.

Cyborg, stilling feeling his grasp, smiled, feeling something moving inside of him, knew that it was the first time, as if a huge stone had been lifted off his back. Even if the words were not there, even if the old man didn't know how to say it, the barriers were gone now, and Cyborg knew that he had finally made his father proud.

**END episode 12**


	54. A Teen Titan, A True Friend INTRO

WOW, it's been so long since i've written anything after doing my lost seasons fic. I do believe I stopped writing fanfiction completely for the past two years since i stopped that fic. But i've been inspired to at least finish this one I don't think i'll ever write TT again, since most of it is fuzzy to me now, but i gotta at least finish this.

Please excuse the horribleness if the characters and action sequences are a bit stuffed up, i'm out of practice and words don't come to me as easily as they used to lol.

And now, the finale. P.s you don't need to read the lost seasons to appreciate this 'episode'

Enjoy!

**Episode 13: A Teen Titan, A true Friend.**

There was no sign of life in the cavern, save for the screeches of several dozen bats that had taken residence within the moist and slippery rocks. The cavern itself was not natural, having been formed barely a year ago. It resembled a giant pit, with a spiral tower of rock forming from the center. Cooled obsidian gleamed on the cavern walls, evidence of the roaring lava that once flowed thorugh these chambers. Now, the only sounds were the small plinks of falling water drops from the cavern roof.

On top of the rocky spire, was a flatter platform, barely enough to hold a group of people. And on it, was a statue of a young girl, still petrified in the same pose that she was when she used the last of her powers to save the city and her friends.

Below was a plaque, commemorating this person.

TERRA

A TEEN TITAN

A TRUE FRIEND

Flowers were left on the plaque, a memento by Starfire, but they had already wilted in the darkness of the caves.

Beast Boy smiled gently as he dusted off the plaque, replacing it with a fresh bouquet he had brought with him.

"Hi Terra, it's me, Beast Boy. Sorry it took so long for me to visit, must get kinda lonely down here huh?" The changeling set the flowers down on the altar, then sat next to the statue of his friend.

"A lot of stuff has happened over the summer since I last came down here. Man, you wouldn't believe it, first it was Mumbo on a crazy cruise ship, then Cy getting us a brand spanking new Computer system. Only to have it go crazy on us." Beast boy laughed, casually picking up a pebble and flicking it into the distance, like they used to do by the waters of Jump city.

"I tried getting us a TV show, and of course, a moped for yoouurs truly. We even fought a dragon in Raven's mind. How cool is that?"

There was no reply from Terra, as Beast Boy had come to expect from her by now.

"And then there was that time i schooled Control Freak in a video game, haha!" Beast boy slapped his knee in exclamation. "Boy did I have a field day with that one."

Beast boy softened his expression as he kept talking, whether it was to Terra or just to himself in the darkness, he didn't know. This place was always kind of a sanctuary for him, a place to speak his mind and unload all his doubts. He never realized it until now, but Beast Boy had a newfound appreciation for all the meditation Raven did in her spare time, what was it for again? to cleanse her mind.

"We also....had some rough times. I don't think you met him, but Cy...we lost a friend of ours, Fixit."

Beast boy took another pebble, tossing it into the pit.

"It was a hard fight, and we almost lost, but Cyborg and Fixit came through for us....Just watching that happen to a friend....it just really makes me think you know? " Beast Boy closed his eyes and sighed, and looked at Terra, motionless and seemingly lifeless.

"I know some of us have given up, even if they don't say it straight to my face, but i know you're in there somewhere Terra. Maybe you're just resting? I won't give up on you, I know you wouldn't give up on me. You'll come back some day. And i'll be here waiting." He smiled lightly, holding her petrified hand.

Suddenly, Beast Boy heard the rustle of footsteps in the cavern, followed by the light pitter patter of rocks as a few pebbles fell into the cavern. Someone else was there...with them.

"Whose there?!" Beast Boy shouted into the darkness, assuming a defensive posture. He didn't know anyone else on his team that visited down here, so that left either Slade or some other enemy. Either way, they were not getting to Terra.

"Beast Boy, it's me."

The changeling's posture relaxed as he saw the new entrant into the cavern, sporting her purple robe like always.

"Raven?" Beast boy said in surprise. "What are you doing down here?"

"Probably for the same reason as you I guess." The sorceress replied calmly, usually she would be sarcastic or stern towards Beast Boy, but she knew this would be the last place and time to do so.

"I just noticed it has been a while since any of us visited here, well except you of course."

"No offense Rae, but...I'm a bit surprised. You and Terra didn't exactly get along very well."

"No, but it still doesn't change what she did for us, or the city." Raven replied. "Besides, I owe her one."

Beast Boy was genuinely surprised at that last remark. His ears piqued with interest.

"For what?"

"It's a long story." Raven said stoically, giving the impression that it was too long to explain.

"I've got time." Beast Boy replied. "I'd like to know what this is all about Rae."

Raven hesitated for a moment, but seeing that Beast boy was so eager to hear more about their times with Terra, she relented.

"I guess i'll start from the beginning, you remember that time that you guys went missing during that Tournament of heroes....well, I think you remember what happened to us right after you guys came back..."

[b]***[/b]

The white flash had vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving only a trail of smoke as evidence of its wake. They were all inside a domed structure, filled with Balconies and endless mazes of hallways,

Starfire, Terra and Raven groaned as their eyes adjusted to this new environment. The smoke was still thick, obscuring their vision, but they knew they weren't the only ones on the scene, around them were at least a dozen female silouettes. Some of them very familiar.

"Welcome, Champions all! I am the Master of Games!"

All eyes turned to a towering platform that hovered above the crowd, and the source of the booming voice that just addressed them.

There, stood a powerfullly built figure, wearing gold bands on his biceps, wrists and shinns, as well as a loincloth, he resembled one of the gladiators from Roman times. Except that this figure was almost ape like, his arms and body covered in a white fur save for his grey face and chest. Aside from his bracelets, he also sported a golden belt of a champion and a large necklace encrusted with a large red jewel.

The master of games smiled.

"You are hereby invited to compete...in the Tournament of Heroines!"

Starfire's gaze never left the mysterious figure, despite his seemingly friendly invitation, something didn't feel right.

"Raven?"

The sorceress, eyeing the new figure suspiciously, nodded towards her teammate. "Yeah?"

"I have a bad feeling about this."

(Fade to song)

When there's trouble you know who to call  
Teen Titans!  
From their tower, they can see it all  
Teen Titans!

When there's evil on the attack  
You can rest knowing they got your back  
'Cuz when the world needs heroes on patrol  
Teen Titans GO!

With their superpowers they unite  
Teen Titans!  
Never met a villain that they liked  
Teen Titans!

They've got the bad guys on the run  
They never stop 'till the job gets done  
'Cuz when the world is losin' all control  
Teen Titans GO!

1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. Go!  
Teen Titans!


	55. A Teen Titan, A True Friend ACT 1

ACT 1 (part 1)

The smoke cleared moments later, revealing to all the heroines the occupants of the room. Starfire and Raven opened their eyes in surprise as they saw some of the people standing next to them.

"Soo....." Terra eyed the room curiously, not recognizing a single one of the heroines considering she was just starting her time as a titan. "I guess you know these guys?"

"Some of them." Raven said sternly, with an edge in her voice.

A smooth and cocky laugh erupted from the shadows, Terra couldn't make out the figure in front of Star and Raven, save for the smooth and cocky voice of a young girl. "Is that any way to greet an old friend?"

Before Terra, Raven or Starfire could say anything, the master of games wasted no time, before anyone in the room could even get their bearings or react, he had already began announcing the guest list.

"Welcome again ladies, to the tournament of Heroines! A friendly competition between the world's greatest young champions!"

The enchanted jewel on the Master of Game's began glowing now, projecting intense images into the minds of the contestants.

First came a shot of space, showcasing starfire in her old Taramanian outfit, fitted with armored undergarments and metallic accents. The image showed her pummeling a ship into nothing, before firing a burst of green starbolts.

"First, we have Starfire, the alien powerhouse with starbolt fury to match!"

The image shifted to a dark world with burning red skies and floating mounds of jagged rock. Within seconds, the rocks were ripped to pieces with a black magic that shrouded them, revealing Raven.

"Raven, the mysterious and stoic sorceress"

Next, was the desert landscape of Jump City, jutted with Canyons that suddenly imploded a vast earthquake, leaving behind a cloud of dust as a very familiar figure emerged from the rubble. Floating on a levitated rock.

"Terra, the Earth-Shaking Rock and Roller!"

The next image showcased a girl floating in mid air, her skin was paler than Raven's, her hair short and unkempt with bangs died red. The figure sported a black dress and red skirt with black knee high stockings and matching gloves. Red energy emanated from her hands.

"Argent, master creator and wielder of deadly plasma energy!

The scenery cut to an underground complex with yellow metallic walls, and an army of robots. Standing in the middle of it all was a slim girl sporting a black dress trimmed in blue, and lavender colored hair with black and blue stockings. She gave a mischievous grin as she did a 360-degree twirl, throwing a wave of purple plasma energy that caused the walls around her to collapse into pieces..

"Jinx, the H.I.V.E operative who spells bad luck for her enemies!"

The image flashed to a dark outline of jump city on a stormy night, a flash of lightning quickly illuminated the rooftops of one of them, revealing a dark figure hiding in the shadows, with metallic claws, a green kimono and a grinning mask that covered all of her face.

"Chesire, the skilled and deadly assassin, but even deadlier opponent."

Next, there was a shot of an army of robots, being led by an older, slender woman with short black hair and a red and black uniform. Her arms twisted and contorted into the air, stretching to several times the normal length of a normal person's.

"Madame Rouge, mistress of evil whose reach knows no bounds."

A young teen sporting the black and yellow costume of the H.I.V.E academy came on, and within seconds she was shrinking down to the size of a insect, firing stinger blasts at the practice droids, tearing them to shreds. A final punch

"Bumblebee, the agile fighter with size changing abilities and a lightning sting to boot!"

The last scene shifted to a throne room. This girl looked similar to the titans, but her clothing, armor and hair were all black. In addition to her uniform, she wore armored wrist guards and a metallic neckpiece. Her eyes glowing a menacing red.

"And last but not least Blackfire, with unstoppable strength to match her formiddable cunning."

His speech finished, the Master of Games addressed the crowd of heroines once more, raising his arms in the air for dramatic effect.

"Nine Brave and worthy champions, but only one shall win. Only one shall be left standing at the end."

*******

"Blackfire." Starfire said tersely as the black armored Tamaranian stepped out of the shadows.

"Now is that anyway to address your dear sister?" Blackfire said nonchalantly, as if completely oblivious to the unusually hostile front Starfire was putting up.

"No, but sisters do not frame one another for crimes they did not commit!" Starfire remarked with a great emphasis on the ending, pointing an accusing finger at her sibling.

"Shouldn't you be in a Centauri prison right now?" Raven stepped in, next to Starfire.

The cocky Tamaranian shrugged. "I was teleported here just like all of you remember? Besides, if it means my freedom, I'll gladly compete in this so called 'tournament'. What better chance will I have for a rematch with my helpless little sister."

Starfire's eyes gave a quick flash of fury, but before she could do anything, Terra jumped in.

"Just hold on girls," Terra said nervously just because it seemed like to her that the three were about to start fighting. "Let's focus on where we are right now, we have a tournament right? I'm guessing there will be prizes at the end of this?" The titan said cordially, as if trying to defuse the sudden tension in the room.

The Master of Games beamed at this remark.

"Correct young Titan, there will be a vast prize at the end of this tournament, and the winner will prove themselves to be the greatest young heroine on Earth."

"And what exactly are we fighting for?" Jinx, standing next to her H.I.V.E academy schoolmate, Bumblebee, asked curiously.

"Yeah," Bumblebee, not fully convinced, crossed her arms and stared up at the mysterious host. "How do we know this isn't all just an act?"

"It shall be revealed when the tournament concludes." The master said calmly, "But know this, many a young hero has fought valiantly for it and failed, it is a prize desired by all, and has yet to be won." The Master of games replied, drawing the girls in with his promises of this vast 'prize'.

"Very interesting......" Madame Rouge said slyly in her heavyset french accent. The villain was intrigued, a prize beyond all imagination? Surely it would be a great asset for the Brotherhood.

"I don't know...." Argent stepped forward, "I'd very much like to know what we're fighting for before I enter any tournament."

The master of games expected this, and already had an answer prepared.

"Do not fear young heroines, if you do not feel comfortable or who do not wish to compete. You need only say the word and I shall return you home and at once safe and sound. Of course, the chance at the prize will then be reserved for those who compete." It was a generous promise, but from his experience, it was this single sentence that baited every hero or heroine in..hook, line and sinker. The Master gave a small grin as he bowed politely towards the crowd of young heroines.

As expected, there was a quick hush over the crowd as none of the heroines spoke up about being sent home.

"Looks like we're all game." Terra palmed her fist in anticipation. "The trophy's going home to Titans tower."

"Speak for yourself, the H.I.V.E going to wipe the floor with you titans." Jinx smirked, Bumblebee followed, stepping up behind her classmate.

"Bah. It will be child's play to defeat all you pathetic amateurs." Madame Rouge brushed them all off arrogantly.

The master of games nodded eagerly, raising his arms in a symbolic gesture as he gave his announcement.

"Then the challenge has been accepted. The Tournament of Heroines begins. Prepare for competition!" The jewel on the Master's necklace began glowing, and before anyone could say or do anything else, he vanished in another flash of smoke.

Raven was the only one who didn't seem to join in the mood.

"Something's wrong with this picture. Half the people here aren't even heroes, they're villains."

"You don't need to be a hero to be a champion." Blackfire remarked slyly, flicking her hair casually as she turned her back to the titans, walking away to the group of villains.

"See ya in the arena."

*******

"Ready to watch me walk off with all the prizes?" Terra said smugly, tightening the straps of her goggles as she readied herself for the match to come.

"I'd like to see you try and beat me. I don't meditate all day for nothing you know." Raven gave a rare smirk, which unsettled Terra a bit, who know Raven even had a competitive side to her?

"Do not worry friends," Starfire, once again resuming her cheery disposition with Blackfire gone. "I am sure we will all prevail over our opponents."

"And what if we happen to be fighting each other Star?" Terra smirked as she gave the Tamaranian a friendly nudge.

Chesire did not say a word as she listened to the titans talk, she just leaned casually next to a pillar, sharpening the claws and katanas she brought with her, each stroke sending sparks flying off her weapons as she fine tuned them to a deadly edge.

"You must be the Titans I hear so much about." Bumblebee said smugly as she walked up to the trio of girls.

"And who might you be?" Raven asked.

"Bumblebee, top H.I.V.E academy graduate. and I'm going to show you guys just what we are made of." She gave Terra a curiously glance.

"You, I don't remember hearing about. What was that again? Rock head?"

Terra jerked her head towards Bumblebee. "Sounds like you want to go now." She said very confrontationally. "How about I squash you against the wall like a little bug?"

"Calm down, there's plenty of chances in this tournament." Raven waved the two heroines apart. Just what was the master of games thinking bringing these groups together for a 'friendly' tournament?

Meanwhile, on the other side of the crowd, Argent sighed at the spectacle of the rivalry between the HIVE and Titan members.

"Friendly sort of crowd eh?" She said in her usual British accent, nodding towards Chesire, who, like her, did not seem to congregate into any of the groups.

Chesire didn't say a word or respond, she just continued sharpening her metallic claws.

Argent sighed, "How positively delightful........."

Suddenly, the Master of Games reappeared on the podium, and began his announcements.

"Champions! It is time to begin round one. Face your opponents!"

*******

"With Nine champions, the first round will be a three-person fight to the finish!"

All nine heroines were suddenly vanished in a cloud of smoke.

"Starfire, Argent and Blackfire in a three person free for all!"

Three pillars of lightning slammed onto the surface as the three heroines suddenly found themselves zapped into their arena, a desolate moonscape filled with craters and rock formations.

"Terra Versus Chesire!"

Both heroines were soon teleported to their own Arena, an omninous cavern filled with rock and concrete formations, lit up only by the torches on the walls.

"Raven Versus Jinx!"

Raven soon found herself facing her Hive opponent. The room was filled with dozens of floating circular platforms, each one seemingly suspended by an invisible force.

"Bumblebee Versus Madame Rouge!"

The two combatants quickly teleported to their room, which resembled the inside of a metallic pipeline with the walls and ceiling all curving inwards.

"LET THE TOURNAMENT BEGIN!"

[b]***[/b]

Blackfire grinned menacingly as her eyes blazed red with energy. Argent and Starfire followed suit, both combatants charging their palms with their respective green and red projectiles.

The Master of games appeared as a hologram momentarily over the battlefield.

"As we have an odd number of champions, your round is a preliminary elimination. The first one out shall be sent home while the remaining two advance."

"Fine by me." Blackfire charged her hands with the menacing red starbolt.

"Then let the challenge begin!" The Master of Games vanished.

"Let's get things started shall we?" Blackfire instantly threw two red starblasts at her opponents, flying straight between them.

Starfire and Argent instinctively ducked out of the way. Starfire taking to the skies while Argent performed an aerial back flip to land feet away from the resulting explosions. Each blast rocked the moonscape arena, sending tremors through the air and ground.

"Wait....your starbolts sister...they are different." Starfire noted as she hovered above her sister.

"My little secret." Blackfire smirked, then rushed straight at starfire. Starfire let loose a rapid fire barrage of starbolts at her opponent, but on top of Blackfire's strength, her speed had increaesd as well, so much so that she was able to avoid all of them without even getting singed. Dozens of green explosions littered the landscape, resulting in more craters.

Starfire crossed her arms in defense as Blackfire rushed infor the crushing strike, but before that happened, two giant palms of red energy slammed into the two girls, pushing them through the air before pinning them down onto the ground.

"Hello...I'm still here you know." Argent, floating above the two sisters, had both her hands charged with plasma energy, each one shapped into a giant palm that pressed the Tamaranians down.

Both Tamaranians turned towards Argent and the gothic heroine noticed that both their eyes were glowing.

"Oh bugger m-"

Within an instant, two streams of lasers went straight for Argent, and the resulting flash and explosion temporarily blinded the field.

*******

Terra ran for her life as a storm of ninja stars and kunai flew straight at her, digging into the stone walls with a sickening slice as well as knocking several torches onto the ground. Chesire wasted no time, jumping from rock formation to rock formation, she kept up the steady barrage.

Before the villainess could throw her next barrage however, the earth beneath her feet began shaking. She instinctively back flipped away to avoid the large boulder which ripped out of the ground slamming into the ceiling into a great explosion of dust and rubble.

Chesire was unphazed by this, and simple pulled out her metallic claws and charged head on into Terra.

Big mistake. Terra thought as she clenched her fists, focusing her powers on the ground below.

As if on cue, huge stone slabs began erupting in front of Chesire's path, blocking her path towards Terra while at the same time, aiming to box her in.

A sudden flash and a glint of steel filled the cavern, and within moments, all the rock pillars and slabs that Terra summoned became sliced into several neat pizza shaped pieces.

"You've gotta be kidding me." Terra pushed her arms out straight at Chesire, and the pieces of stone quickly spun towards Chesire like ninja stars. The assassin ran towards the projectiles, doing a quick forward flip before landing right behind Terra.

"No wa-" Before Terra could say anything, Chesire did a low sweeping kick at Terra, knocking her backwards and falling straight into the blades of the Villain.

As Terra landed however, she raised her arms up, and on cue, two fragments of rock flew straight at her hands, giving her the force needed to pull her up into the air and out of the danger of Chesire's blades.

"You're gonna have to do better than that if you want to beat me." Terra was breathing heavily, not used to exerting so much power within such a short span of time. Tough, fast yes. But she was not unbeatable, the fact that this entire arena was made of stone was to her advantage, Terra thought. Chesire was following good tactics, 'keep close to me because I'm a projectile user'.

Terra smirked, crouching down and planting both palms into the earth, the ground shaking as yellow aura surrounded the Titan. Within seconds they were glowing and she slowly stood back up, each palm pulling up a slender pole of stone up with her so that by the time she fully stood up, Terra had two bo staffs completely made of Stone.

To Chesire's suprise, Terra began twirling the two bo staffs with somewhat competent skill, displaying a very Robin like defensive pose.

Then, to Terra's surprise. Chesire gave a sinister laugh, perhaps the only thing she's heard out of the villain.

Chesire advanced without saying another word, pulling out three kunai from her sleeve while unsheathing a long katana, previously concealed within her robe. Looks like she was getting serious as well.

*******

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven gestured her black chakra infused palm towards Jinx, sending several of the circular platforms flying straight at her.

Jinx elegantly back flipped off the platform, landing on another below just as the three platforms Raven threw at her exploded into a cloud of debris above. As she landed, the villain twirled both her hands, producing two pink shockwaves that sliced through the air straight at Raven.

Raven quickly threw up a barrier, blocking the attack towards her even as Jinx's magic waves sliced through everything else around her.

"You know, I've always test out which one of us was the better fighter outside our teams. I'd say this is as good as it'll get." Jinx remarked as her eyes flared with power, sending shockwaves through the air and desintegrating the circular platform Raven was standing on.

"Of course, I think we all know the outcome." Jinx taunted.

Before the ground around her collapsed, Raven took to the skys, black chakras already coarsing through her arms.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that. Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven chanted, guiding two more stone platforms at Jinx.

The villainess focused on the projectiles, and in a move that surprised Raven, ran towards the attack. Focusing all her power at her feet, Jinx jumped over the first circular platform, stepping onto it for a brief second before leaping straight at Raven.

"My attacks aren't just magic you know." Jinx said as she flew straight at the titan.

"Azarath Metrio-" Raven grunted, her spell interrupted as Jinx kicked her in the arm, dispelling the magic that was charged up previously.

Raven instinctively threw up her other arm and blasted at the villain, but Jinx canceled that out with her own magically charged hand, gripping Raven's wrist and throwing her straight down onto the ground.

Raven grunted in pain as she landed on impact, and as she looked up she saw Jinx charging another hex spell with both her hands.

"Your luck's just run out." Jinx mocked her opponent triumphantly, then let loose her attack on Raven.

The Titan quickly changed into her soul bird form, flying through several more platforms as multiple explosions filled the air, obscuring the arena.

*******

The pipeline shook violently as dozens of miniature explosions racked the structure, causing debris and dust to fall all over the arena. Through the structure, a slithering form swerved left and right, resembling a fast moving anaconda.

Bumblebee focused her sights on the elusive Madame rouge, but all her stinger blasts were missing the villain as she used to elastic powers to her advantage, morphing into some sort of shapeless mass and squeezing her way between the blasts.

Rouge laughed as she effortlessly dodged all the blasts, reforming into her human form just metres in front of Bumblebee.

"Give it up child." Rouge spoke in her heavy-set accent. "You don't have what it takes to defeat me."

Bumblebee smirked at the remark, wiping a quick drop of sweat from her forehead. "Madame Rouge isn't it? They talked about you at the H.I.V.E academy, you may have been top dog in the past, but this is our time now."

"Oh?" Rouge replied nonchalantly as she extended her fingers to resemble menacingly sharp swords. "Is that how one talks with their betters these days?"

"I'll show you just how much times have changed." Bee charged up her stingers even more, so much so that they cackled with at least twice as much electricity as her previous attempt.

"Well then child, I guess I shall have to teach you how to treat your betters." Rouge charged straight at Bumblebee, intending to cut her to shreds with her extended blades.

"Ain't necessary." Bumblebee fired two huge blasts at Rouge, then shrunk down to the size of a bug.

Rouge quickly morphed her hands into a shield, taking brunt of the huge blast as it pushed the villain back several feet.

"What? Her previous blasts were not this powerful, how did she-" Rouge then felt a brush of air fly past her head, and she turned around just int ime to see Bumblbee's foot make contact with her face, denting her cheekbones as the force of the impact knocked her several feet away.

Rouge dug her claws into the ground, just in time to catch Bumblebee's charged shot flying straight at her. In response, Rouge flattened her whole body onto the ground, making it look like she got squashed by a giant rock. This however, enabled her to avoid the blast, which blew a neat hole into the walls behind her.

"Interesting...it seems even your strength remains in that size." Rouge pointed out.

"You ain't seen nothing yet." Bumblebee charged her stingers, shrinking down to the size of a bug again before flying straight at her target.

"I have seen enough!" Rouge grimaced, digging her fingers into the ground.

Bumblebee checked her charge as she wondered what the villainess was doing. A sudden rumble resounded through the arena as Rouge suddenly grinned.

"It does not matter how small you shrink, I will still catch you!"

Within seconds it became clear to her as thin spikes suddenly started shooting from the walls, ceiling and floor of the pipe, turning the entire section bumblebee was in into some kind of spike pit. Bee swerved left and right to avoid the spikes, which were madame rouge's fingers as they stabbed in the air around her.

Bee grunted as a spike nearly sliced through her arm, she quickly charged up her stingers and fired at every 'spike' around her, more explosions and slices echoing throughout the arena.

*******

Argent grunted as she was thrown into a rock formation, carving a neat little trench in the ground as before she came to a quiet stop just inside a crater. Meanwhile, above her, Starfire and Blackfire grappled with each other in a contest of strength, each combatant trying to push her opponent back.

"You. Will. Not win!" Starfire grunted with strain as she sought to check her opponent, for some reason, Blackfire was effortlessly overpowering her. Something was different this time, normally their strengths should have been nearly equal.

"Keep struggling my dear little sister." Blackfire laughed, her eyes glaring a menacing red. "It makes it that much more fun!" At that moment, she instantly let go of starfire's hands, flying upwards. Starfire, surprised by this manuver, found herself flying forward from her momentum, but she was quickly stopped as Blackfire grabbed a hold of her shoulds and did an aerial flip, taking Starfire along for the ride and throwing her down onto the ground.

Starfire's impact shook the entire moonscape, throwing up a dustball that obscured almost the entire field.

Before blackfire could even gloat however, Starfire shot straight out of the smoke, ramming straight into her sister with an explosive force that sent shockwaves through the air.

Blackfire grunted in anger as she caught the force of her sister's punch on her face, leaving her cheek slightly bruised.

"You'll pay for that one!" She charged forward, grabbing Starfire's arm and proceeded to pummel her into a Rock formation, throwing even more rubble into the air.

Starfire winced as she flailed in the air, trying to free herself from her sister's iron tight grip. She coughed and opened her eyes as the smoke cleared, letting loose a concentrated eye blast straight at her opponent, which sent Blackfire flying straight into the wall of a canyon.

Before Blackfire could even recover, Starfire was already in front of her, throwing an overhand punch that sent her crashing through the ground.

Starfire wanted to continue fighting but a series of red plasma blasts caught her off guard, forcing her to shield her face with her arms as red energy blasts exploded around her.

"Don't underestimate me! I'm in this too you know." Argent flew straight at Starfire, forming her plasma energy into a giant red fist that knocked Starfire back several dozen feet.

"I do not wish to hurt you." Starfire grimaced from the impact, throwing firing charged up starbolts at her new opponent, but Argent was swiftly dodging each blast, closing the distance.

The Titan formed another starbolt, this one equalling the size of the red plasma fist, and sent it blazing at her opponent. The two projectiles met in midair, cancelling each other out. Before the two combatants could move, a red starbolt that hit Starfire from behind, exploding in a scarlet red flash that blinded the arena and sending the Titan tumbling down onto the ground.

"That was too easy." Blackfire smirked as she charged both her hands to form a large red energy ball, this one the size of a mini-van.

"Tah Tah sister!" The villainess was poised to throw but before she could, she found her wrists were shackled by red Plasma energy.

"Did you forget about me?"

Blackfire turned to see the cocky smirk on Argent's face, literally a foot away from her.

"Why you little-"

Before Blackfire could even finish the sentence, a giant slab of Plasma energy knocked her out of the skies, sending her flying into a crater on the ground. Blackfire's massive starbolt, still charged, was now clamped and held by Argent's plasma energy.

"Here, let me return this to you." Argent manipulated her plasma energy into the form of a whip, and like a sling shot, stretched it out and threw the giant starbolt back at Blackfire who was falling toward the crater just above her sister.

"Looks like I win this round." Argent said wryly.

"Think again." Blackfire suddenly had a dark grin on her face, she grabbed Starfire, who was falling just feet beneath her, and flipped herself so that the two Taramanians reversed positions, Starfire on top while Blackfire was below her, shielded from the impending blast.

Starfire screamed in pain as the red blast engulfed her, throwing both her and her sister onto the ground with a massive explosive impact, but with Starfire evidently taking the brunt of the damage. The Titan groaned weakly as she lay beneath a pile of rocks in the centre of the crater.

Blackfire nonchalantly emerged from the rubble, brushing the dust off her armor while Argent lowered herself to ground level, intending to finish the fight.

Before they could continue however, a flash of lightning engulfed the arena, and Starfire vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Starfire has been eliminated!" The Master of Game's voice erupted through the arena. "Winners Blackfire and Argent shall advance to the next round!"

*******

The ground exploded violently as several rock spikes emerged like a menacing wave, creating a swath of destruction as it flew towards Chesire. The Assassin however, was quicker, throwing her Kunai at Terra before disappearing into the shadows. Chesire was keeping to the walls, sticking to them for an instant and throwing her ninja stars at the Titan, like a game of cat and mouse. But her aim was very accurate, knocking out of the bo staffs from Terra's hand while the others were deflected, taking down several torches in the cavern.

Terra grunted as she threw up a rock barrier, blocking the projectiles that were thrown at her, but the lapse in concentration had allowed her opponent to close the distance, swiping at the Titan with her Katanas. The Titan barely had time to parry with her stone bo staff, the blade stopping just inches from her fact.

Another wave of her fist sent the rock barrier flying straight at Chesire, but the villainess was already on the prowl, throwing more ninja stars at Terra from the shadows at the edge of the arena.

This time Terra ducked, letting the projectiles pass above her harmlessly and knocking several of the torches around the arena down.

Sensing an opening in the attacks, Chesire attacked straight at Terra.

Terra however, had quite enough of these sneak attacks, Bo staff in one hand, the Titan summoned a boulder beneath her and used the foward momentum to perform a high speed flying kick that sent Chesire flying back.

Caught by surprise, the villainess landed with a quick thud against the torchlit cavern wall. In front of her Terra was poised to finish this, a cocky smirk already on the titan's face.

However, for some reason, Chesire just laughed, almost hysterically.

"What's wrong? Given up already?" Terra shouted out, but felt somewhat uneasy, why was she laughing?!"

Before Terra could say anything else, Chesire took the three ninja stars in her hand, and threw them behind her, obliterating the last three torches that lit up the cavern. The embers sputtered out as the torches hit the ground, giving dying glow before the entire cavern descended into an empty blackness.

To Terra's horror, she couldn't see anything, and her opponent vanished before her eyes. She heard a footstep behind her and threw up a blind rock barrier to protect against the attack, but she was quickly thrown backwards by a sword slice in the darkness. Terra grunted in pain as she felt the force of the impact cut her bo staff in two, throwing her onto the ground as she stumbled blindly for the wall, and some point of leverage to anchor herself on.

The Titan gasped in panic, as attacks came from all around her, but she found herself blind as a bat, unable to attack and barely able to defend herself.

Meanwhile, In the pitch black darkness , Chesire cackled evily, her voice echoing throughout the cavern. The villainess slowly snuck towards Terra, poised for her next strike.


	56. A Teen Titan, A True Friend Act 2 1

Two circular platforms exploded as a soul bird flew through them, littering the arena with a rain of rubble and dust.

"Is that the best you can do." Jinx laughed as she edged towards Raven, both palms charged with hex magic. The Titan transformed out of her soul bird form, meeting Jinx with her very own charged chakras.

"Not even close." Raven's eyes glowed, then in a surprising move, rushed Jinx head on.

The H.I.V.E member gave an amused look at this unorthodox tactic, then met the Titan with her own rush.

"You think you can beat me in close quarters?" Jinx laughed as she charged Raven head on.

"You bet." Raven motioned one of her palms forward, throwing a shock wave at Jinx which sliced through the ground like a hot knife through butter. Jinx skillfully twirled to one side, not losing her forward momentum and threw her own blast at Raven.

The Titan reacted instantly, jumping over the hex and the resulting explosion, throwing herself at the villainess. Both girls struggled briefly as they grappled fists, Raven's chakra blast on her free hand being canceled out as it met Jinx's charged hands. The struggle did not last long as Jinx swiftly dodged one of Raven's swipes, kicking her opponent back a good few yards.

Raven grunted as she impacted the ground, using her arm as leverage she dislodged a slice of the platform and threw it straight at Jinx. Jinx smirked arrogantly as the platform simply dissolved into dust around her, a barrier of hex energy formed around her.

"What's that about beating me in close quarters?" Jinx laughed.

Raven charged her opponent again, raising both her arms outward and levitating two nearby platforms on top of Jinx.

The two stone platforms slammed into the ground around the HIVE member, but like the other projectiles they were sliced into pieces by Jinx's hex energy. Before she could even gloat however, Raven had closed the distance, reappearing behind Jinx in the form of a soul bird and swiping straight at her, knocking Jinx back in a powerful shockwave. The villainess screamed as she landed back in a cloud of dust.

"You were saying?" Raven crossed her arms in a defensive posture, powering both her arms up with a fierce chakra charge.

Jinx coughed as emerged from the smoke, a fierce glare already glowing in her eyes.

A hex energy wave surged towards Raven, disintegrating the platform around it as it sped towards Raven. The Titan found herself falling onto her back but quickly took to the air.

Reaching out around her, three more circular platforms became wrapped in black energy. With a wave of her hand, Raven sent each one flying towards Jinx, but the villainess simply hopped to other platforms, avoiding each of Raven's attacks. A succession of blasts filled the air as black magic blasts mixed in with hex spells.

Raven, having quite enough, pointed both her hands at Jinx and charged up the largest blast yet.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven shouted, sending a surge of black energy straight at her opponent.

"I don't think so." Jinx snapped, meeting Raven's blast with one of her own hexes. The two forces smashed into each other and exploded upon impact, lighting the entire arena in an eerie glow.

* * *

"UGH" Bumblebee grunted as she hit the ground, narrowly dodging the latest finger-spikes that shot out of the wall.

"You cannot keep this up forever child, why not just surrender and save yourself the pain?" Madame rouge lectured her opponent in her condescending tone as she reformed her arms.

"Not my style." Bumblebee shrunk again, firing more stinger blasts at Rouge, but the Brotherhood member simply brushed them off.

"HA, if this is what the HIVE has to offer, then they are a waste of my time." Rouge outstretched her arm again, shooting it straight at bumblebee. The shrunken heroine quickly darted left and right, away from Rouge but the elastic villain's reach didn't seem to stop, she was tracing her flightpath like a snake slithering towards its prey.

Finally, giving up on the chase, Bee grew herself back to normal size and decided to meet the villainess dead on, blocking the full force of Rouge's punch as it knocked her back a few feet in the air.

"Impressive, but you should pay more attention." Rouge smirked.

"Huh?" Bumblebee suddenly looked down and noticed that Rouge's other arm had just wrapped around her leg.

"Now you are mine." She laughed, then swung her arm straight into the wall, with poor Bumblebee being taken along for the ride. The entire section of the pipeline wall collapse as Rouge threw Bumblebee straight through the concrete slabs, throwing up even more clouds of dust.

Through the dust, two glowing stinger blasts hit Rouge in the face, taking her by surprise as well as deforming her head as she snapped back in surprise.

Retracting her arms, Rouge covered her smoking face as more blasts fired through the smoke, each other hitting the villainess. But having adjusted to blasts, Rouge simply absorbed the hits like a rubber trampoline, with some blasts bouncing off her malleable body.

"What do I have to do to bring down this crazy lady?" Bumblebee grumbled to herself as she hid around a corner, taking this lapse in fighting to catch her breath and plot her next move.

"What was that child?" The wall suddenly came alive and Bumblebee widened her eyes as she realized Rouge had disguised herself alongside the pipeline walls with her shape shifting ability.

"Lady, you're really starting to freak me out." Bumblebee let loose a barrage of stingers against the wall but all missed as Rouge instantly reformed in front of Bee.

Madame Rouge shot out another one of punches, this one extending ten feet ahead towards Bee.  
Wasting no time, Bumblebee too to the air, then came down with a diving kick, intending to pin the villain against the wall.

Rouge however, foresaw this manuveur and already grabbed onto Bumblebee's leg before hitting her, her other arm blocked Bumblebee's fist as it stopped just inches from her face.

"Typical amateur."

"You don't know what I'm capable of." Bee smirked as she used her free hand to charge her stinger and dug it straight into Rouge's face.

The villainess screamed as he face began melting from the intense heat of the stinger, so much so that she violently threw bumblebee into the air. The heroine recovered and let loose another barrage of bolts at Rouge.

"Why you little-" Rouge shot out both her arms at her assailant, but they hit nothing as Bumblebee shrunk again, closing the distance and appearing just beneath Rouge's face. Bee instantly reverted to her normal size and landed an uppercut straight into Madame Rouge's chin, knocking it up at least 2 feet into the air.

Rouge however, chuckled evilly. "Big mistake."

"Wha-" Before Bumblebee could even react, Rouge's long arms wrapped around Bumblebee, slithering around her body like snakes constricting it's prey.

Bee grunted, shrinking to her insect size, but Rouge simply morphed her snake-like arms into a sphere, trapping poor Bumblebee inside.

Instantly realizing she was trapped, Bumblebee reverted to her normal size again, but Rouge's spherical prison simply wrapped around Bumblebee like a garbage bag, constricting her movements as well as her breathing. The Heroine charged her stingers again but it was no use, Rouge did not let go.

Struggling as she was wrapped within Rouge's Bubble, Bumblebee soon ran out of air, and after a few more defiant grunts, she lost all her strength.

Rouge smirked, unwrapping Bumblebee from her arms and letting her fall harmless onto the floor. A split second later, a lightning zap teleported Bumblebee away, leaving Rouge standing victorious.

"Bumblebee has been eliminated. The winner is! Madame Rouge!"

"Foolish girl, you never stood a chance." Rouge sneered as she sharpened her fingers into metallic claws.

* * *

"Come on, show yourself!" Terra shouted into the darkness as the laughter seemingly surrounded her. She edged closer to the walls, using it to keep her bearings, while at the same time she threw blind attacks at the darkness, dislodging a boulder here and there while sending a barrage of rocks in all directions. It was the only defense she had.

As she aimed her attacks onto the ceiling and on the area in front of her, she felt a swift kick sweep at her feet, knocking her back. A sinister glint of steel flashed for an instant, and Terra had already summoned a stone bo staff from the cavern walls to parry it. The Titan brought her second fist up to send a rock pillar Chesire's way but the assassin kept attacking, keeping Terra off balance.

Another kick sent Terra flying back, while in the darkness, Chesire armed herself with her wrist guard claws.

Terra jumped back, sending a barrage of rocks towards Chesire as she had an idea where her attacker was coming from, but Chesire simply sliced them all out of the air.

Hearing the footsteps, Terra summoned a rock boulder beneath her with the intention of flying above her assailant, but Chesire was quicker, knocking the Titan off her ride as she jump kicked Terra, making the Titan land right in the center of the cavern, far from the walls and rock formations that hugged the edge. Terra's boulder, now without it's master, unceremoniously dropped onto the ground, shattering into a million pieces.

I can't keep this up forever. Terra thought, her opponent clearly had experience fighting in the darkness, but this was not completely new to her as well...

* * *

_"_

_Terra grunted as she fell face flat onto the desert plateau, her opponent already getting the best of her as he had all afternoon. Bruises and dirt scrapes covering her entire body, as though she had been dragged through an entire canyon and back._

_"Get up apprentice, the real training hasn't even begun yet." A tall dark menacing figure towered above her, black armor laced around him while a mask obscured his face. The figure, like Terra, had a bo staff in hand._

_"How can I?" Terra gasped for breath as the last kick took the wind out of her. "How can i even defend myself when you've tied THIS around my eyes!" Terra pulled at the blindfold that was strapped securely around her head, almost forcibly. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't get it off._

_"If you wish to control your powers, you must first learn to listen to your senses. That requires focus." Slade went on, lecturing his student. "Focus requires no distractions. Taking away your sight is one way to hone your other senses."_

_Before Terra could even get back up, Slade delivered another devastating kick towards Terra, straight into the stomach. Terra almost hurled as she was thrown back against a boulder. Gripping her fist, she sent a blind rock storm straight at Slade, only it missed him by a few inches due to her being unable to see._

_"Good. You are getting the hang of it." Slade said nonchalantly._

_"How can you expect me to fight if I can't see!" Terra protested chidingly._

_"Oh, but you can see. You just don't realize it yet. That's why I am here, you just need the proper motivation." Slade said menacingly as he stepped towards Terra._

_Terra almost choked from the pain as she reached blindly for her bo staff. She had no idea why she even decided to take Slade up on his offer, but if it gave her a chance to control her powers again._

_Blindfolded, bo staff in hand, she rushed Slade again, this time parrying one of his blows briefly before getting smashed in the face with his counter strike._

_"Don't bother taking time to think, I won't give you the time. The first part of this lesson, is to simply hit me while defending yourself. You don't need to see to do that, it should come naturally to you."_

_"I need to know my surroundings." Terra protested._

_"Why is that?" Slade asked innocently._

_"So I can plan my attack. You taught me those moves but I need to see someone to use them on, not to mention what's around me!" Indeed, Slade had trained Terra intensively in close quarters combat before this little exercise...so why was he putting her in a situation where they were totally useless?_

_"You analyze too much my dear." Slade said simply._

_"Brains win over Brawn." Terra said defiantly._

_"Of course," Slade said instructively, "but Instinct wins over brains. Look at your friends...like that Beast Boy of yours, if he had to think every time he fought, he wouldn't be able to make it out the door. I want you to be able to act in the moment, to defend yourself and attack as though it is second nature. Thinking takes place at a higher level than mere pummeling."_

_"Then why teach me all those moves?" Terra asked, slightly annoyed at Slade's smug tone._

_"That is so you know the fundamentals, but knowing that can only get you so far. You must practice, practice and apply until it becomes as easily as breathing to you. Do so until you can do the same moves over and over again in your sleep...or in the dark."_

_Terra wiped the sweat off her brow, pulling up another stone bo staff from the earth so that now she was armed with two. Slade bots began surrounding her now as her master decided to take the training to the next level._

_She was ready._

* * *

Terra she reached into her pocket, pulling out an old blindfold and began tying it around her head to cover her eyes. The cave was so dark that even this action didn't change any of Terra's vision as she finished the knot. Yet, she remained collected, her sporatic breathing from seconds ago reduced to a calm, meditative rate.

Chesire, noticing that her opponent blindfolding herself, wondered whether she had lost her mind. But deciding that it was a moot point, she charged straight at Terra, claws and katana out, closing the distance with lightning speed.

Sensing the vibration of the earth, Terra quickly turned around, jerking her head instinctively towards her opponent and summoning two rock spires that shot out in front of Chesire's path.

The assassin was caught off guard by this attack, and jumped into the air, only to be met with Terra assaulting her with Twin bo staffs. Chesire quickly parried with the Katana, but could not avoid the second lunge straight at her face.

Chesire's mask almost cracked as Terra landed her direct hit, temporarily throwing the cat-like assassin off balance. With a feral growl, Chesire retaliated, kicking Terra beneath the ribs as she was knocked down by the bo staff and sending the titan flying forwards onto the ground.

Terra however, had by that time manipulated a boulder to appear beneath her, giving her a platform to land on before hitting the ground. Chesire meanwhile, dug her claws into the ground on impact, sliding to a stop on the other side of the arena. She was taken aback by Terra's sudden change in technique, it was as though she was fighting a completely different person.

Deciding on the side of caution, Chesire assumed a defensive stance, confident that she could take advantage of any mistakes Terra may make on her offensive.

"YAH!" Terra shouted as she propelled the boulder she was standing on straight at Chesire. The assassin slipped beneath it, letting it explode harmlessly on the wall behind her, she looked ahead to prepare for Terra's strike and on cue, a hailstorm of rocks assailed her. But Chesire effortlessly swatted these aside with her Katana and claws, cutting them to dust and rubble even as she was forced to step back a few feet.

She fully expected Terra to rush through the rock storm, but to her surprise nothing happened.

"Right behind you." Terra whispered, and Chesire barely had time to turn around wide eyed as the ground beneath her exploded with a tremor, throwing up a wall of ash and dust that covered the villainess.

Terra stepped forward, bo staff in hand, and at that point, Chesire realized that she had hid herself behind the boulder she threw at her in the first strike, the rock storm being nothing but a diversion.

Before Chesire could even get up however, snakes of earth were summoned from the ground, shackling her down by her wrists and legs. She snarled in anger, realizing that for the first time ever, she was beaten.

"Game over." Terra smirked, pointing her Bo Staff downwards at her opponent, she had her dead to rights.

Suddenly the entire arena lit up again, as torches magically appeared on the walls. A quick flash of lightning engulfed Chesire, and within an instant the Villainess was teleported away.

"Chesire is eliminated, the winner is Terra!"

* * *

"You think you have a chance against me Witch?" Jinx locked hands with Raven again, the air around them was rippling with flashes of electricity, both black and violet.

"Look whose talking." Raven grunted under the strain, despite her power, Jinx was definitely getting the upper hand in these close encounters.

"Azarath metrion-" The Titan began chanting.

"Too slow." Jinx grinned as she shoved Raven away, snapping her fingers to summon forth another hex shockwave. Raven grunted as she was thrown back a good dozen yards, but somehow managed to bring herself to a stop in mid air.

Jinx, to her surprise, noted that Raven's eyes were still glowing.

"Zinthos."

A huge black soul bird quickly enveloped Raven, and with a cackling roar launched itself straight at Jinx.

"You think your pretty light show can stop me?" Jinx said defiantly, then threw two waves of Hex energy at the soul bird. They simply dissolved on contact as Raven's soul bird continued it's relentless attack.

"Oh-" Jinx shouted, just as the entire arena lit up in a flash.

A low roar rumbled through the air, shaking all the platforms in the arena as the soul bird exploded on contact, disappearing into a ball of flame and black chakra, as well taking out the platform Jinx was standing and a dozen others nearby. With an 'OOOF', Jinx landed unceremoniously onto another stone platform, her uniform still smoking from Raven's last attack.

Raven appeared floating before Jinx, evidently exhausted from the last attack. It seemed she used all her powers.

"Is that all you've got?" Jinx smiled evilly as she realized she had the upper hand in power reserves.

"Almost, but I don't need any more to finish you." Raven smirked.

"What are you talking about? You've used more power than me. I've just been toying with you all this time." The H.I.V.E member quipped annoyingly.

"Or maybe...I was just thinking ahead." Raven nonchalantly pointed to the arena around them, and within an instant, Jinx realized what had happened.

All the circular platforms, the dozens of foating stone circles that filled the room when they started. There was only one left, the one Jinx that was standing on.

"What? This isn't fair!" The HIVE member, realizing this, cursed her opponent and her ability to levitate.

"Better luck next time." Raven smirked, then snapped her fingers. A black shroud quickly enveloped the last platform dissolving it into a cloud of dust.

"I'll get you back for thiiiiiiiiiiiiis!" Jinx shouted as she fell into the seemingly bottomless pit of the arena. Before she landed however, she vanished in a flash of lightning.

"The winner is... Raven!"

Within moments, Raven herself vanished in a blinding flash of light.

**

* * *

**

"Aw yeah! You won!" Terra gave Raven a friendly slap on the back as her friend materialized before her.

Raven smiled as she saw that Terra too had advanced to the next round, but then she looked around the domed arena and the remaining contestants.

"Where's Starfire?" The sorceress inquired.

"I'm afraid she was too weak to survive the first round. A pity really." Blackfire emerged from the shadows, and within an instant was reward with a deathly glare from both titans.

"Well played!" The Master of games cut off the impending confrontation as he appeared in another flash of light above the platform, right in front of the heroines. There were now five heroines left. Raven, Terra, Blackfire, Rouge and Argent.

"You have survived the first round." The master spread his arms out magnanimously as if in tribute to his contestants.

"What happened to the ones who didn't?" Raven stepped up.

"Yeah, where's Starfire?" Terra asked.

The Master of Games chuckled softly. "Please heroines, no need to worry. I was merely using a figure of speech. The others have been returned home safely. You need not concern yourselves with them, for now you must rest, for tomorrow, is round two!"

Before Terra, Raven or the others could even say another word. The Master of games summoned another 5 bolts, these ones summoning his champions to their quarters outside the dome, where they would rest for the night.

"This is even going better than I had originally planned...soon, the prizes will all be mine and then no hero or heroine will ever be able to match me again." He chuckled softly to himself as he casually clasped the jewel necklace he wore, ignoring the muffled screams that emerged from within it's casing.

"Sleep tight, my little heroines, for tomorrow indeed, is a big day."


	57. A Teen Titan, A trust Friend Act 2, pt2

**Sorry for the LONG delay, but writer's block is killing me, i'll finish this story no matter how long it takes me!**

* * *

**Act 2**

Night time descended upon the dome of champions, the sky was blazoned by a blanket of stars, accompanied by several glowing gas planets that seemed to orbit whatever world the Master of Games had decided to call home.

Despite the serenity of the moment, Terra found that she could not sleep, something nagging at insides of her mind as she tossed and turned in her bed. It was all too much to take in, one minute they were playing with the boys at Beast Boy's favourite card game, then the next, they were zapped away to some far off tournament of champions. No way of contacting home, no way of finding out whether the boys were frantically searching for them.

Giving up on all hope of sleeping anytime soon, she got up, walked out of her room, and decided to take up her time honored tradition of star gazing. The Master of Game's pavilion provided quite the view, with a balcony that circled the entirety of the solitary dome, and Terra could not help but notice that the night sky was just as beautiful as all the times she viewed it on Earth, when she found herself a wanderer in the desert. Even though they were not the best of times, Terra found that she could not help but smile, that bit of nostalgia hanging in the air as she lost herself in thoughts gone past.

"Can't sleep either?" A new voice appeared behind her, temporarily sending a jolt through Terra's thoughts. The titan turned around quickly as though expecting an attack, but she relaxed when she realized it was only Raven.

"No." Terra smiled lightly, sitting down at the balcony's ledge, and tucking her knees close to her body. "Just enjoying the view."

Raven nodded, standing just beside Terra and staring up in the same mosaic of lights in the sky.

"I can't reach them." The sorceress said simply, inferring at her previous attempts to contact the rest of the team, to make sure they knew they were okay, but more importantly, to check up on Starfire after she lost the match.

"The Master of Games did say this was another world, maybe we just can't reach them until we win this thing and go home." Terra offered.

"Yes, I know. But still, I would like to know if Star's okay."

"She'll be fine, Starfire's a tough girl, if something's wrong, she'll find a way to let us know."

Terra said reassuringly, hoping that didn't come off too harshly. The whole 'being on a team' business was still new to her. For almost all her life, she was alone, either cast out by the ones she befriended or simply not trusting herself and her powers enough to be around people. Now, she had to worry about other people, people who trusted her with their lives, and people who accepted her, faults and all.

It was refreshing, but at the same time, terrifying.

"Still…" Raven grumbled, her own thoughts too pre-occupied to read the subtle anxiety on Terra's face. "I would feel a lot better knowing."

"Don't worry, we'll finish off this tournament today, then we'll be back home like no one's the wiser." Terra grinned slightly. "Who knows, I may even let you hold my trophy."

Beast Boy said Raven was dull and boring, but the sorceress was proving to be quite a competitor underneath that cold exterior.

Then, Raven did something that sent even bigger chills down Terra's spine.

She smirked.

"We'll see."

"Well, win or lose, at least make sure we give Starfire's sister a big whooping." Terra laughed, deflating her own anxiety.

"That I don't mind at all." Raven said flatly, before resuming her gaze at the stars above.

"You miss it. Don't you?" The sorceress said sympathetically, which caused Terra to jerk her head towards Raven in surprise. Was she reading her thoughts?

"I don't have to be a psychic to guess everything you know." She said dryly. "Despite what Beast Boy says I do pay attention to people's emotions."

Terra chuckled. "I guess you can say it that way."

"For a long time, I was living on my own, just running away, I did kind of enjoyed the freedom, never having to worry about anything. Don't get me wrong, I love being part of this team and finally having a place to call home but…..ever since I ran into you guys… things got complicated."

"It gets better." Raven said helpfully, knowing all too well what it felt like when your gifts felt more like a curse.

"You really think so Raven?"

"You're still getting use to being part of team. But sometimes, you have to give time…time. Everything works out in the end." The sorceress said reassuringly.

Terra nodded, then shifted uneasily as she spoke.

"Look, Raven. I know we didn't get along very well. In fact, when I first joined, I knew you didn't like me at all."

"Yup." Raven replied stoically.

The Titan chuckled softly. "So don't feel offended when I ask, but why the pep talk now now?"

"Well, for one thing you saved my room from being trashed in a building sized sink hole. That should at least give you some points." Raven said with her joking-yet-somehow-still-serious tone.

Terra chuckled quietly. "That's positively nice of you, and humor to boot? Completely different from what Beast Boy's been telling me."

The sorceress sighed, then smirked a bit. "One thing you need to learn if you're going to be part of this team, is to think twice before taking cues from Beast Boy."

Terra laughed, and within that laughter, she realized that she didn't mind having a place to belong after all.

* * *

"Pathetic."

She watched smugly as the two titans continued watching the stars, all the while ignoring the Tamaranian hovering in the night sky, behind the two.

Blackfire watched quietly, considering back stabbing them now, eliminate the competition. But something about this tournament didn't seem right to her, and she had a gut feeling that this Master of Games wasn't being completely honest. She didn't know what, but her past experience with deception taught her that something was up. Maybe it was time to pay this Master a visit.

She smirked as she flew, eyeing the chain that hung from her neck, and the red jewel attached to it, giving her aura a menacing red glow.

The Jewel of Charta.

It was a red gem from the Swamp Moons of Drenthax IV, known for amplifying a Tamaranian's abilities to the point where they became twice as strong, as her naïve sister found out the hard way. The jewels were notoriously rare, the mines being owned by a certain Schlurch crimelord that guarded them jealously, but she had managed to secure one that had been stolen.

It was worth every penny purchasing this from those Alpha Centauri smugglers, and even more so to see the faces of those pathetic guards when she single handedly tore her way out of prison.

With that happy thought, she quietly perched herself outside the balcony of the tallest tower of the Dome, deducing that this was where the Master of Games resided. That, and the maniacal laughter she heard erupting from his chambers.

_Well, that settles that theory. _

Blackfire smirked, now she'll find out what this Master was really up to.

She quietly floated beneath the balcony, but she was caught off guard with the glow of green chakra emitting from the room.

"Starfire?" Blackfire whispered, slightly outraged that her sister was still here after she was fairly backstabbed in the last round. The villainess navigated around the balcony, poppng her head up to gaze the green Starbolt….

…on the palm of the Master of Games.

"Truly amazing….." The Master chuckled as he sprouted wings on his back, hovering just as he demolished a practice dummy with a green starbolt and yellow stinger blast.

The Master of Games adapted himself to Starfire's powers, as he landed, and crushed a piece of stone in his hand like it was made of sand.

"These prizes have even more potential than the last bunch. I can't wait until the next round, then I will show my last, misguided batch of champions just what a true winner is."

Blackfire's eyes widened even more as she saw the red encrusted Jewel around his neck, emitting muffled screams as he powered up, producing two Kunai in his hands, while the grinning mask of Chesire formed to cover half his face.

"Just as you'll find out now….my little heroine."

Before Blackfire could even move in surprise, the Master threw them straight at her, propelled by Starfire's strength, the kunai demolished the stone railings of the balcony, sending Blackfire hovering backwards, guard up.

"Heroine? Don't make me laugh." Blackfire smirked, powering up her Jewel of Charta. So the Master of games was using this tournament for his own benefit, herding heroes and heroines with the promise of a prize, only he would end up winning it all.

Blackfire couldn't help but admire the simplicity of it all.

"As much as I would love to hear by darling sister suffer." The Tamaranian smiled, her eyes blazing red with energy. "I'll be taking her, and that lovely jewel off your hands."

"Ah," The Master of Games smiled in recognition. "The infamous Blackfire, I see you live up to your reputation. And I also noticed that you've paid your own visit to the moons of Drenthax before." He smiled, pointing to the Jewel that Blackfire carried around her neck.

"So what if I have?" Blackfire did her best to hide her surprise.

"I am quite familiar with the Jewels of Charta you see, being an interdimensional being and all." The Master of Games said nonchalantly as he sprouted Bumblebee's wings, charging Starfire's bolts in one hand while producing two more Kunai in the other.

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" Blackfire said, slightly annoyed.

"No, but I bet the Schlurch's never told you about the other moons, or the other types of jewels." The Master smiled, lifting his own ruby amulet up for Blackfire to see. "Some are known to increase power, such as yours, while others have more subtle, but just as valuable abilities."

Then, the Master's smile vanished in dark glare. "Know this too, young Champion, that you are cheating, and I do not abide cheating in my tournament. I'm afraid that's grounds for disqualification."

A devilish grin appeared on the Master's face as he charged up his eyes with Starfire's starbolts, shooting a pair of beams straight at the shocked Tamaranian.

Then, just as quickly as it began, with a blast and a scream, it was over.

* * *

"AND welcome, Heroines, to the second day of the tournament!" The Master of Games, resplendent in a large cloak that covered his massiveframe, shouted as his voice echoed the chambers as the four remaining competitors were teleported back into the ring.

Raven, Terra, Rouge and Argent suddenly found themselves zapped back into the dome, the lightning and smoke vanishing just as soon as it had appeared.

"Best of luck today," Argent smirked at her fellow competitors, "though I'd imagine you Blokes will need it."

"This ends today." Rouge said all too seriously, as though this was just a waste of her time. "I am tired of dealing with children."

"Rae," Terra smirked at her fellow team mate. "Best of luck."

"Yeah." Raven nodded, then eyed the arena. "Hey, where's Blackfire?"

"I'm afraid the heroine was caught trying to sabotage her fellow competitors, needless to say, she's been disqualified." The Master explained.

"Figures." Raven said tersely.

The Master however, went on. "In any case, let us begin the tournament! In the semi final rounds, we have."

"Terra versus Madame Rouge." Both Terra and Madame rouge vanished in a cloud of smoke.

"Raven versus Argent." The remaining two heroines followed suit.

"May the Best Heroine win!"


End file.
